The Health Belief Model (HBM) was developed in the early 1950s by health service psychologists who were looking for an explanation as to why so few people were involved in disease detection and prevention programs. Interestingly, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, (2012) “HBM was one of the first theories of health behavior, and remains one of the most widely recognized in the field” (p.14). The HBM studies a person’s perception of the danger emanating from a health problem (Hayden, 2013). The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services puts forward six main elements or pillars on which the HBM is based. The six main elements have been backed up by years of extensive research in the field. For the HBM to work, people, firstly, need to believe that their health is at risk. Secondly, they need to believe that the health risk poses serious consequences and ramifications. Thirdly, they need to believe that taking action or engaging in health-seeking behaviors may bring down their susceptibility to the health risk or reduce its severity. There are always barriers to taking action preventing people from health-seeking practices, with this in mind, the fourth element needs to indicate that the cost of taking action is much lower, and the benefits are greater. The fifth element stipulates that cues must be present for a person to be prompted to act. These may be television ads, newspaper articles or a doctor’s friendly advice. Finally, the sixth element, is the person’s confidence in the successful implementation of the action, in other words, a person needs to be confident that he is capable of making a change.
Although developed half a century ago, the model is used to this day with great success for a range of health-seeking and disease promotion behaviors such as tooth brushing to prevent oral cavity diseases, seat belt use to prevent accidents, health screening use, and many others. The HBM is a framework used for motivating people to engage in health-seeking behaviors in order to avoid a potential health hazard. For instance, tooth decay and oral diseases may be viewed as a health hazard, and the desire to avoid oral cavity diseases may be used to encourage people to brush and floss their teeth and have regular dental checkups. Similarly, the incipient risk of obesity or diabetes may be used as a powerful incentive to cut down on sugars and engage in regular exercises (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012).
The HBM is still relevant to this day, firstly because it primarily focuses on preventing the disease and nipping it in the bud without allowing it to develop into a hazardous health condition. Secondly, the population of the world has increased dramatically since the 1950s leading to a lack of medical resources and increased health costs. People nowadays tend to be more health-conscious, and opt to engage in health-seeking and disease prevention programs. Furthermore, there is considerably more exposure now to medical information, which is predominantly disseminated on the Internet. When the HBM was at its initial stage, there was the shortage of information on its efficacy, and therefore, fewer people were aware of the benefits. More than fifty years of research and successful implementation in a range of medical practices have made the HBM more wide-spread and popular among the people wishing to engage in prevention strategies.
Reference List
Hayden, J. A. (2013). Introduction to Health Behavior Theory. Burlington, Massachusetts: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2012). Theory at a Glance: A Guide for Health Promotion Practice. Web.