Health Belief Model and its Applicability in Healthcare Settings

Health Belief Model and its Applicability in Healthcare Settings

Hello,

Thank you for sharing your post, Amanda. Your study of the Health Belief Model and its applicability in healthcare settings is one that I wholeheartedly concur with. Indeed, many patients might need help comprehending the gravity and dangers of some diseases. Healthcare providers can encourage patients to seek the right therapies and implement the required preventative measures by giving them thorough education and ensuring they understand their health issues’ effects. Removing obstacles like financial limitations can be extremely important in helping people maintain healthy lifestyles (Skoglund et al., 2022). Your solution of giving resources for low-income families and medication discount cards is an excellent method to deal with this issue and make it easier for people to access essential supplies.

I like that you brought up social support and how it affects people’s efforts to promote their health. A patient’s motivation to attain their health goals can be significantly influenced by the support and encouragement from family and friends (Mayberry et al., 2022). On the other hand, low-income family influences or exposure to depressing social media content can impede progress and demotivate people. Healthcare providers should be aware of this, assist patients in developing strong social networks, and give them sound advice on how to moderate their social media usage. Additionally, your focus on finding workable solutions to overcome obstacles, like offering resources and discount cards, exemplifies a proactive strategy for tackling the financial difficulties that may prevent patients from engaging in healthy activities. This aggressive intervention can significantly improve underprivileged communities’ access to healthcare and advance health equity. Your post emphasizes the significance of applying the Health Belief Model and acknowledging the importance of social support in obtaining favorable health outcomes. Great job!

References

Mayberry, L. S., El-Rifai, M., Nelson, L. A., Parks, M., Greevy, R. A., LeStourgeon, L., Molli, S., Bergner, E., Spieker, A., Aikens, J. E., & Wolever, R. Q. (2022). Rationale, design, and recruitment outcomes for the Family/Friend Activation to Motivate Self-care (FAMS) 2.0 randomized controlled trial among adults with type 2 diabetes and their support persons. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 122, 106956. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2022.106956

Skoglund, G., Nilsson, B. B., Olsen, C. F., Bergland, A., & Hilde, G. (2022). Facilitators and barriers for lifestyle change in people with prediabetes: a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies. BMC Public Health, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-12885-8

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REPLY TO AMANDA DISCUSSION POST

1. Health Belief Model

2. The Health Belief Model (HBM) was first developed in the 1950s by psychologists who wanted to explain why so many people were not taking preventative measures to help prevent diseases (Health Belief Model (Hbm), n.d.). According to the model, the way a person reacts to a health concern is based on four different things: such as the severity of the disease, the susceptibility to that disease, the benefits of taking action, and the barriers to taking action (Health Belief Model (Hbm), n.d.). People are often more likely to go to a doctor or seek help if they know they are more susceptible to a certain disease (The Health Belief Model – Rural Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Toolkit, n.d.). For example, patients who have a family history of high blood pressure may be more proactive in eating healthier and exercising to help lower their own risk of developing high blood pressure. The severity of the disease can also influence a patient’s behaviour and whether or not they seek treatment (Health Belief Model (Hbm), n.d.). For instance, when the patient fully understands the consequences of tobacco use and the risk of developing cancers like lung cancer or throat cancer, the patient may be more likely to stop using tobacco or not use it, to begin with. A barrier could be the inability of a patient to afford healthy foods if they are trying to lose weight or reduce their risk of developing diabetes. Healthy foods sometimes tend to cost more money than those that are unhealthy (Access to Foods That Support Healthy Dietary Patterns – Healthy People 2030, n.d.).

3. I can use the Health Belief Model in healthcare settings by educating my patients better on the severity of diseases that they are at risk for or have. I believe that the majority of patients do not fully understand the risks and seriousness of certain diseases. For instance, diabetes is not just a simple diagnosis; it is also about keeping blood glucose levels at certain levels. Diabetes affects not only a person’s kidneys but also their vision and how well their body adapts to wound healing (Diabetes Statistics – Drif, n.d.). Not taking diabetes seriously could even eventually lead to death. (Diabetes Statistics – Drif, n.d.). With proper education and knowing that your patient fully understands their risks. they may be more likely to seek treatment. I can also use the Health Belief Model to help my patients overcome barriers, such as not being able to afford healthy foods or their prescriptions. I could do this by helping them find resources that their county offers low-income families or providing them with a “GoodRX” discount card that gives prescriptions at a discounted rate at certain pharmacies.

4. Social support can also have a positive or negative impact on someone’s health promotion practices. For example, if a patient wants to lose weight and exercise more and their family is encouraging and supportive, that patient will more than likely be more motivated to stay on track to reach their goal (Schmidt et al., 2020). If a patient wants to lose weight and their family is not supportive and they engage in bad eating behaviors or unhealthy practices, this could be discouraging to the patient and cause them not to be motivated anymore as well (Schmidt et al., 2020). In today’s society, we also have more and more social media at our fingertips such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. These sites can also be encouraging and/or discouraging to a patient’s health promotion practices. A positive side to social media sites is that they allow a person to join support groups with thousands of people who may be going through the same thing (Social Media and Mental Health – Helpguide.org, n.d.). These groups can encourage each other or give each other advice on things that have worked for them or things that they have tried and did not have success with (Social Media and Mental Health – Helpguide.org, n.d.). However, social media sites can also be discouraging. For example, if someone wants to stop drinking alcohol, but every time they get on one of these sites, all they see are their friends out drinking, this could make it harder for the patient to quit. Social media can also lead to more depression and anxiety (Social Media and Mental Health – Helpguide.org, n.d.). If someone has a problem with their body image and they were to get on social media and see all of these pretty people who have no flaws and compare themself to them, this could potentially make their depression and anxiety worse.

References:
Access to foods that support healthy dietary patterns – Healthy People 2030. (n.d.). https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health/literature-summaries/access-foods-support-healthy-dietary-patternsLinks to an external site.
Diabetes statistics – drif. (n.d.). DRIF. https://diabetesresearch.org/diabetes-statisticsLinks to an external site.
Health belief model (hbm). (n.d.). https://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/health_belief_model.htmlLinks to an external site.
Schmidt, S. K., Hemmestad, L., MacDonald, C. S., Langberg, H., & Valentiner, L. S. (2020). Motivation and barriers to maintaining lifestyle changes in patients with type 2 diabetes after an intensive lifestyle intervention (the u-turn trial): A longitudinal qualitative study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(20), 7454. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17207454Links to an external site.

Social media and mental health – helpguide.org. (n.d.). HelpGuide.org. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/social-media-and-mental-health.htmLinks to an external site.

The health belief model – rural health promotion and disease prevention toolkit. (n.d.). https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/toolkits/health-promotion/2/theories-and-models/health-beliefLinks to an external site.