Health Belief Model (HBM)

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Health Belief Model (HBM)
Being a psychological model, the Health Belief Model endeavors to predict and explicate
health-related behaviors, particularly regarding the endorsement of health services.(1) HBM
focusses on people’s beliefs and attitudes which it uses to explain and forecast their health
behaviors. It is one of the first health behavior models, established in the 1950s by social
psychologists at the United States Public Health Service who were seeking a better
understanding of the prevalent failure of screening services for tuberculosis.(3)HBM is still one of
the preeminent and most extensively used theories in the research of human health behavior.(2)
The model proposes that factors such as people’s beliefs concerning health issues, their self-
efficacy, barriers to taking action as well as perceived advantages of acting determine their
engagement or lack of it towards health-upholding behavior.(10)
HBM Constructs
Perceived susceptibility: this is a person’s assessment of the risks involved in
developing a problem with their health. The health belief model denotes that persons who
recognize that they are vulnerable to a specified healthiness problem will involve themselves in
healthy behaviors that prevent the development of that issue. For instance, people who perceive a
high risk of suffering from type 2 diabetes probably due to their genetics will most likely try
their best to keep away from too much sugar or sugary foodstuffs and drinks. Sugar itself may
not lead to type 2 diabetes but the individual may become overweight or develop obesity which
increases their probability of developing type 2 diabetes.(7)On the other hand, folks with low
perceived vulnerability may not agree that they are at risk of contracting a certain illness. These
individuals are more likely to indulge in risky or unhealthy behaviors just like those who believe

that they might develop an ailment but it is unlikely. If there is no one in one’s family or among
close relatives who have ever suffered or is suffering from type 2 diabetes, for example, the
individual might not be too cautious of their sugar intake because they believe that there is the
low possibility of them developing the illness.
Perceived severity: This states to the subjective valuation of the austerity of a health
issue as well as that of its consequences. This element mentions that people who view a given
health problem or illness as serious are more probable to engage in health-promoting actions that
will help them prevent or avoid those problems. Perceiving obesity as a serious condition that
brings about other health problems will make the person be more careful about their food choice.
They will indulge in healthy eating habits and do regular physical exercises that will enable them
to prevent the onset of obesity or lessen its severity. The perceived harshness of a diseases
embraces subjective beliefs about the illness itself, for instance as causing disability, pain or
being life-threatening as well as its effects on individual functioning in their life, that is socially
and at work. Perceived severity and susceptibility lead to the perceived threat which depends on
individual knowledge about the condition. HBM forecasts that a greater perceived threat leads to
engagement in behaviors that promote health.
Perceived benefits: a party’s assessment of the value of taking action towards bettering
their health also influences health-promoting behavior. A person will presumably carry out an act
to benefit their health if they believe that it will reduce the susceptibility to a particular illness or
reduce its austerity. People who believe sunscreen will prevent skin cancer, for example, are
more likely to wear sunscreen as opposed to those who do not.(14) Believing that eating a
balanced diet and exercising regularly prevents the occurrence of certain diseases encourages one
to observe their diet and keep healthy.

Perceived barriers: behaviors related to health are also a function of hindrances to
action, which refer to the subjective valuation of the hurdles to change in behavior. Certain
obstacles may prevent one to take action in promoting their health even though they believe that
these actions will prevent certain health issues or reduce their seriousness. These hindrances
include certain aspects such as side effects to a medical procedure, danger, expenditure or even
discomforts such as pain which may be a result of engaging in those behaviors.(11)The benefits of
taking action toward health-enhancing behavior should, therefore, be more than the barriers
involved in the same. For example, the emotional upset brought about by giving up sugary drinks
and foods may prevent one from making a healthy choice in the foods they ingest. The individual
may not view it as worth the trouble especially if they trust that they are unlikely to develop any
illnesses related to sugar. Similarly, people who acquire great benefits from regular exercise and
healthy eating such as fitness professionals, for instance, will definitely be more enthusiastic
about overcoming the emotional upset of giving up unhealthy foods.
Cues to Action: Health Belief Model suggests that a trigger, either external or internal is
necessary for instigating engagement in behaviors associated with health. Internal cues of action
include psychological facets such as symptoms of a disease and pain while external cues are
other triggers such as the media and info from other people.(3) Examples of cues of action in the
case of food choice include illness of a family member or friend as a result of unhealthy eating, a
reminder from one’s fitness trainer as well as warnings indicated on purchased products.
Modifying variables: Individual perceptions are impacted by certain psychosocial,
demographic and structural characteristics. HBM suggests that variables such as age, race, and
knowledge about a particular illness, social class and peer pressure influence the perceived
severity, susceptibility barriers and benefits thus affect health-related behavior indirectly.(16)