Reflection on the Health Belief Model – HBM
Hello everyone. My name is Sherita Dobbins. Welcome to today’s session on the Health Belief Model (HBM). The HBM was created in the 1950s to help social psychologists at the U.S. Public Health Service understand why people do not practice preventive health behaviors. The model is still relevant today as it is a psychological description of people’s decisions within the scope of their health.
Notably, this model is a valuable research and training paradigm in health behavior. According to Alyafei and Easton-Carr (2024), the Health Belief Model stems from the presupposition that people get involved in disease prevention if they perceive being at risk of disease and if the gains with action outweigh the impediments. The original model dealt only with individual susceptibility to and severity of illness, but it was expanded to include other motivational determinants of behavior change.
Now, I’d like to define the six broad constructs that make up the health belief model and shape behavior change.
There are six HBM constructs to predict if a person will or will not adopt a healthy behavior. Perceived susceptibility is defined as the perceived chance of one developing a condition. For instance, an individual who has had heart disease in their family may perceive higher susceptibility and, as such, have a stronger inclination to adopt heart-healthy lifestyle choices. Perceived severity is a concept of a condition’s seriousness and its effects, as indicated by Paulus et al. (2024). When one knows that heart disease can cause disability or death, then they will be more likely to engage in preventative behavior.
Perceived benefits are another significant influence linked to an individual’s perception that performing a particular health behavior will minimize risk or minimize the severity of an illness. For instance, one will exercise and take healthy diets if one perceives that such behaviors will prevent heart disease. Perceived barriers, on the other hand, are those things that may inhibit behavior change. Challenges may include cost, fear of side effects, or time constraints.
In addition, cues to action are external stimuli that prompt individuals to act. They may be either media campaigns, health provider reminders, or experiences. Finally, self-efficacy, added later into the model, is a belief on an individual’s part to successfully carry out a health behavior (Paulus et al., 2024). Without self-efficacy, even if someone understands their risk and recognizes the benefits of taking action, they may struggle to follow through.
There is a necessity to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of the health belief model.
The Health Belief Model is becoming more commonly used in public health since it is easy to use and successful in guiding health interventions. One of its strongest points is that it provides a systematic framework for designing health education initiatives. Alyafei and Easton-Carr (2024) assert that it has been successfully utilized in health promotion activities such as the cessation of smoking, cancer screening, and adherence to medication. Finally, the simple model can be applied to diverse health behaviors and populations.
Nevertheless, as with any other theoretical model, HBM also has its share of limitations. One of its greatest limitations is that it deals with predominantly individual perceptions and not external determinants like social, cultural, or environmental determinants, which also play a defining role in health behavior. It also does not explain long-term behavior change since some change at the onset but cannot be maintained.
Let us now discuss how the health belief model is used in actual health intervention.
A practical application of the Health Belief Model is enhancing HPV vaccine coverage. For central uptake, many young adults may not think of themselves as vulnerable to HPV, and therefore, uptake may be low. Public health marketing campaigns that promote the severity of HPV-related cancers can increase perceived absolute risk and perceived relative risk. This can help health practitioners to reinforce the benefits perceived by patients and tell them how the vaccine protects them for many years. Public programs that fund vaccination or public awareness campaigns may reduce perceived barriers, including concerns about side effects or costs involved in receiving a vaccine. Vaccination can also be stimulated by other cues to action, such as media reminders or provider recommendations. Lastly, educational and peer influence can provide self-efficacy in making health decisions.
In conclusion,
The health belief model is valid for explaining health behavior and designing successful public health interventions. Such a significant construct of healthcare providers can institute targeted programs to motivate people to preceptive health behavior. The HBM continues to be an essential tool in informing public health policy and behavior change initiatives through its promotion of vaccination, healthy lifestyles, or increased screening against known diseases.
That is all for today. Thank you!
References
Alyafei, A., & Easton-Carr, R. (2024, May 19). The health belief model of behavior change. Nih.gov; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK606120/
Paulus, K., Bass, S. B., Kelly, P. J. A., Pilla, J., Otor, A., Scialanca, M., Arroyo, A., & Faison, N. (2024). Using health belief model constructs to understand the role of perceived disease threat and resilience in responding to COVID-19 among people who use drugs: a cluster analysis. Advances in Drug and Alcohol Research, 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/adar.2024.12197
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Question 
Reflection on the Health Belief Model – HBM
Create a video answering the questions below. These video reflections serve to determine if students can communicate an overall understanding of theory/model information/constructs and how best to apply the theory/model to health education/behavior research. Students will record themselves responding to the following:
Reflection on the Health Belief Model
Overall explanation of theory/model (8 points)
Brief explanation of constructs (7 points)
Limitations and strengths of theory/model (5 points)
Brief application of theory to health behavior of your choice (5 pts)