Food Nutrition and Behaviour

This document discusses the Health Belief Model (HBM) and alternative drivers of human food choice. It analyzes the components of the HBM and critiques its effectiveness. It also explores the major determinants of food choice and proposes an alternative food choice model. The strengths and weaknesses of the proposed model are discussed.

Running head: FOOD NUTRITION AND BEHAVIOUR
FOOD NUTRITION AND BEHAVIOUR
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Introduction:
The Health Belief Model (HBM) was build up in the year of 1950s by some social
researchers at the U.S. Public Well-being Service with the aim to recognize the
disappointment of individuals to accept disease inhibition measures and approaches or the
screening tests in order to detect the disease in early stage. Later the practises of Health
Belief Model (HBM) was used for the patients' reactions to certain signs and obedience to the
medical managements. The Health Belief Model (HBM) proposes that belief of an individual
in an individual risk of any illness, altogether with the individual’s confidence in the
efficiency of the provided health behaviour or achievement will forecast the likelihood on
how the individual will accept the behaviour (1).
The Health Belief Model (HBM) originates from behavioural and psychological
theory on the basis of the two constituents of health-associated behaviour which are the
craving to avoid the infection, or similarly get healthier if previously ill; and, the other one is
the faith that a accurate health act which will prevent, or treat disorder. Ultimately, a patient’s
progression of act often be contingent on the individual’s perceptions of the acquired benefits
and the obstacles associated to the health behaviour. The assignment will discuss and critique
the Health Belief Model (HBM) and will identify and explain alternative drivers of human
food choice and discussion on the bad and good point (2).
Analyse and critique the HBM:
The health belief model is a specific social cognition model build on the bases of complex
theoretical compositions which are:
 Perceived susceptibility: the term refers to an individual’s personal observation of the
threat of attaining any illness or infection. There is a wide deviation in an individual’s
state of mind on particular vulnerability to the illness or infection.

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 Perceived severity – it is used to refer to an individual’s feelings on the significance
of diminishing the illness or infection suffering or not treating the illness or infections.
There is extensive variation in one individual’s state of mind towards severity, and it
is found that often individuals consider the medical concerns such as death and
disability, and social values which can be family life and shared relationships when
assessing the severity of the disease and its outcomes (3).
 Perceived benefits – the term reflects the perception of a person on the effectiveness
of diverse actions available tin order to reduce the risk factors of illness or infection or
to cure such circumstances. The development process attained by an individual
account in preventing or treating any illness or disease which relies on the
consideration and assessment of both supposed vulnerability and professed benefit, so
that the individual accepts the suggested health strategies and measures if it was
counted as beneficial (18).
 Perceived barriers – the term is used to state a person's thoughts and feelings on the
difficulties to perform any kind of recommended health measures. There is vast
difference in an individual's feelings of barriers, or impairments, which would lead to
a charge/benefit enquiry. The individual weighs the efficiency of the measures against
the insights that it might be too expensive, unsafe, would have side effects,
disagreeable painful, time-taking, or may be problematic (4).
 Cue to action - This is the inducement required in order to activate the decision-
making objective in an individual to receive a better provided health action. These
cues can either be internal such as chest pains, wheezing, etc. or can be external such
as guidance from others, disease of family member, post or articles etc.
 Self-efficacy – it reflects to an individual’s confidence towards his/her ability to
successfully accomplish a behaviour. Self-efficacy is a concept used in various

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behavioural theories as it directly re-counts to whether an individual achieves the
anticipated behaviour.
The Health Belief Model (HBM) has its benefits as it helps the healthcare centres and the
individuals to remember that individual’s health choice are totally dependent not only on
rational thinking but is also dependent on their emotions, social conditions, habits and
individual preferences. Thus it is found to open the eyes and mind sets of people to what may
be more beneficial and effective social teaching strategy throughout the health habits (5).
The drawbacks that the Health Belief Model (HBM) possess to the health-risk behaviours
and it is unable to explain people regarding the environment, personal and social factors
which is found to influence the health status and suffering. It is found that believes has its
major effect on people’s decision making ability. The model helps the healthcare
professionals to develop a better awareness and education plan for the people that can
effectively change their behaviour and mind-set nut does not have any strategy to develop
knowledge regarding the disease management after some is infected (6).
Identify and explain alternative drivers of human food choice
Major determinants of food choice
Food choice is referred to the idea of how people choose on what food they want to
buy and eat. A multifaceted set of factors which is found to be varying from one person to
another person and also depends on the culture, tradition and up-bringing which are also the
major factors which influence the food choice (17). People may look for the cost of the food
product if they need to maintain their routine budget, or look for information regarding their
allergen if they have any kind of food allergy. But it has been seen that food choice may also
get influenced by many other characteristics which agree to one’s personal preferences such
as sustainability tags for any fair trade, health-related information or organic labels such

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as health rights. Additional personal aspects are also influencing the food choice which can
be habits or preferred taste. It is also observed to be dependent upon individual’s mood and
various other factors such as desire for food or being in an urgency (7).
The key driver for food choice is hunger but also depends on what people choose to take is
not determined exclusively by physical or nutritional needs of someone. Some of the
additional factors which has the ability to influence food choice includes:
 Psychological determinants which can be mood, pressure and fault
 Economic determinants which are charge, earnings and then the availability
 Physical determinants that can be right to use, education, abilities such as cooking and
interval
 Biological determinants which involves one’s hunger, craving, and preferred taste
 Social determinants including principles, values, ethics, family, peers and diet patterns
 Approaches, beliefs and information regarding the food is also a major factor
influencing (8).
The difficulty of the food choice is understandable from the list provided above, that is in
the situation not comprehensive. Food choice issues also found to be varying according to the
life stage and the influence of any factor will differ from one person or group of individuals
to the following. Thus, the type of interference in order to modify the food choice behaviour
will not costume throughout the population groups. Relatively, the interventions require to be
geared in the direction of diverse groups of the people with the thought to the numerous
factors which are influencing the decisions on the food choice (9).

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Show and explain your alternative model of food choice
Food choice is an elementary nature in individuals to choose food of their preferences
which are mostly attractive and delicious in nature but are unhealthy to intake. They
frequently feel to depend on the foods with negative effect and high calorie drinks in place of
healthy foods such as fruits, cereals, vegetables, milk, and water, etc. thus, it becomes a
responsibility of the individual and the healthcare professionals to accomplish proper model
to analyse and help with their food choice and health status as well as their lifestyle in order
to provide them with healthy life (10).
Several research into the field of food choice examines on how people choice the food
they consume. An interdisciplinary issue, the food choice encompasses mental and
sociological features, economic subjects and sensory characteristics. Factors which are found
to guide the food choice include the taste preference, sensual qualities, charge, accessibility,
expediency, cognitive limit, and cultural understanding.
Food choice is the matter of the research in any nutrition, diet science, anthropology,
psychology, sociology, and other divisions of the natural and social health sciences. It is a
matter with most practical interest of the food industry and particularly its promotion
endeavours. Different scientists have been developing different theoretical frameworks of
food choice behaviour for individuals with its need (11). These cognitive theory inspects the
interaction of environmental, individual, and behavioural influences. Ion, the environmental
cues and the increased helping sizes is found to play a major role in the prime choice and
amount of foods that is consumed by the individual.

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In order to attain a better food choice in individuals it is important to process an
alternative food choice model. There are several features which can be incorporated in to a
food choice model which would enhance its usefulness in public health. the features of the
model include the following (12):
 The model must account for people’s attitudes, their beliefs, or various other
individual factors which would indicate an individual’s receipt of a health behaviour.
 The food choice model must take into account the behaviours which are usual and
habitual and thus may affect the decision-making process of an individual to accept
any sort of health recommended action.
 It should be taken into account the individual’s behaviours which can be
accomplished for the non-health associated reasons which can be social acceptability.
 It must focus its aim towards the environmental or economic influences that may
which will forbid or encourage the recommended health action for an individual (19).
 It must aim towards to objective where everyone must have the access to equivalent
amounts of information and treatment on the illness or disease they have been
witnessing.
 It should focus on cues to accomplishment where it would widely predominant in
inspiring individuals to act and state that the "health" schedules are the chief goal in
the decision-making process of an individual (13).

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Fig: Alternative Food Choice Model
Discuss and critique your proposed model of food choice
In this alternative food choice model the most important and attractive feature is regarding
the concern of illness sand the factors that can lead to any illness and disease. The food
choice model focuses on the factors that might develop any kind of disorder or disease and
hence exclude those internal and external factors (14). There are variety of internal or
external factors that give rise to food-borne infection or disorder. It focuses on the food
behaviours that varies from individual to individual and list down all those behaviours to help
an individual with the best food choices. Calorie rich food is included in this alternative food
choice model that provide sufficient amount of calories to the person known as calorie-rich
food. As we known that the food that any individual consume must be rich in nutrients and
high on calories hence, the major character that this food choice model should bear is that it
should be rich on calorie intake and nutrients. Hence the food include in this alternative food
choice model will comprise of cereals, green vegetables, fruits, consumption of dairy
products. The alternative food choice model should include food items that can be used
Food
chain
model
attitudes,
beliefs, or
other
individual
factors
habits
non-health
associated
reasons
information
and treatment
on the illness
or disease
decisio-
making
process

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during any social parties or gatherings bearing in mind regarding the food habits of an
individual with optimum quantity of nutrients too (15). In social gathering, people usually
concentrate on drinks and non-healthy items hence the food choice model must exclude that
criteria and include the food items that can provide an individual with appropriate nutrient
intake. Another advantage of this alternative food choice model is to help people with
different background to have a general knowledge regarding the food items or choices used in
this model underlying the benefits and drawbacks of the food choices. All the internal and
external factors should be effectively explained to people so that they can understand and
learn the advantages of using this alternative food choice model. The drawback focused in
this food choice model is that it lacks an effective strategy approach so that more and more
people should come to know about this model and the food items considered in this food
choice. Another disadvantage of this alternative food choice model is that no change sis done
in the food menu i.e. no additional healthy food items were included in the model instead
kind of same food menu was used that was a major drawback. The combination of food items
could be used to attract people and to increase the nutrient level in the total food intake (16).
The more nutritional intake in the food item will make a person more energetic and happy.
Hence, this alternative food choice model comprises of both benefits and drawbacks that
should be approached and reduced to make this model as the standard model of food choice
that will provide an individual with all nutrients and effective calorie to be energetic and
happy throughout the day (20).
Conclusion:
The Health Belief Model (HBM) is an important behavioural health theory which is
used in professional healthcare practice. these type of health theory is a major amalgamation
of opinion, knowledge, and actions that is been taken by the individual or the group of
individuals and the healthcare professionals in the orientation to their health conditions.

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This particular Health Belief Model (HBM) is an intrapersonal ability, which means
that it is totally based on the idea, knowledge, education, judgement and beliefs of each
individual person in a setting or community. The Health Belief Model (HBM) is often used in
order to develop preventive health programs for individuals, as well as to design suitable
interference programs where it’s prevention has been failed. It can be concluded that the food
choice is one of the reason behind the major health issue of an individual and it is important
to focus on the food choices and the appropriate models to practice a better food uptake and
lead a healthier life. The alternative food chain is focused on the drawbacks of the Health
Belief Model (HBM) which has been used in order to assess the negative issues of the food
choices of an individual so that the health issues can be addresses and a better diet can be
provided to the individuals.

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