What is the Health Belief Model?

Health psychology has been gaining more and more strength in recent years. Matarazzo (1980) was one of its promoters, when defining what a health behavior was. on this occasion we will know the Becker and Maiman Health Belief Model.

This model includes an important cognitive/perceptual component in the evaluation of the possibility of becoming ill. But, on what does it depend that we adopt healthy lifestyle habits or behaviors? Let's meet him in this article.

• Related article: "Health Psychology: history, definition and fields of application"

health behaviors

A health behavior is, according to Kasl and Cobb, that behavior aimed at preventing a disease. According to Matarazzo, such behaviors decrease behavioral pathogens and increase behavioral immunogens. The variables that influence the adoption of health behaviors are: the social context, the perception of the symptom, emotional states and beliefs about health.

Health Belief Model: characteristics

The Health Belief Model was proposed by Becker and Maiman in 1974. These authors formulated the model, although around the 50s a group of specialists in social psychology in North America had already developed the first hypotheses, seeking an explanation for the lack of public participation in programs for early detection and prevention of diseases.

The model states that a person's willingness to adopt a health behavior will be determined by two factors: the perception of susceptibility to disease and the perceived severity of the consequence of the disease.

Components

The Health Belief Model is made up of three groups of elements or components. Let's see what they are.

1. individual perceptions

These, in turn, are made up of two elements already mentioned: the susceptibility to getting sick (or the risk of getting sick) and the perceived seriousness in relation to the consequences of said disease. These perceptions directly influence the threat perceived by the subject himself.

In relation to the perception of susceptibility or risks, studies with adolescents have concluded that certain people who carry out behaviors that favor transmission of HIV, such as unprotected intercourse, (risk actions) are not perceived as being at greater risk of contracting AIDS than others who do not carry out similar actions. This is quite alarming.

On the other hand, and also in relation to HIV/AIDS, some studies have shown that the belief that modern technology will be capable of Finding a cure for HIV/AIDS soon has a direct correlation with the practice of risky behaviors, data that is also alarming.

Thus, we see how the perception of risk to which one is exposed or has been exposed can be a conditioning factor of behaviour. This perception may be related to the idea that one has of their partner and what it means fidelity, and will be influenced by age, sexual tendency, self-image, cultural, intellectual, etc

all these elements can be adequately identified and addressed in psychoeducational interventions.

• You may be interested in: "Psychoeducation in psychological therapy"

2. Modifying factors

These factors They are made up of two types of variables.: demographic and psychosocial variables (for example, where one lives, age, gender, etc.), and the beliefs that are key to action (for example, preventive campaigns, advice, etc.)

Just like individual perceptions, modifying factors influence the subject's perceived threat of becoming ill.

3. action probability

The probability of action (that is, the probability of acting, of adopting a health behavior to prevent disease) depends on the benefits and costs or barriers involved in engaging in such conduct or not.

In this way, in addition to perceiving a threat to their health and the seriousness of the consequences, the person must also believe that he is capable of producing certain changes or modifications in his behavior, and that said initiative/s will produce/n greater benefits than inconveniences or damages (derived from the effort to be made to achieve them).

Model premises

As a synthesis, we can group the three basic premises of the Health Belief Model:

• The belief - or perception - that a certain problem is important or serious enough to take it into consideration.
• The belief - or perception - that one is vulnerable or susceptible to that problem.
• The belief -or perception- that the action to be executed will produce a benefit at an acceptable personal cost (ie, greater benefits than costs).

Example

Let's think of an example: the case of tobacco addiction. In order to adopt a health behavior, we must first perceive that we are susceptible to getting sick (for example when we cough a lot when performing a puff on the cigarette) and we must also perceive the severity of the consequences in case of becoming ill (for example, dying from having cancer of the lung).

Thus, the health behavior would be to quit smoking, and the more powerful the perceptions (of susceptibility and severity) we have, the more likely it is that we will adopt the healthy behavior.

health motivation

Becker and Maiman later add a new factor to the Health Belief Model: motivation for health, which is directly related to the motivation theories.

Model Applications

The Health Belief Model has been used as a psychoeducational tool in the population in preventive interventions against HIV/AIDS and other pathologies.

Bibliographic references:

• Matarazzo, J D. (1980): Behavioral health and behavioral medicine. Frontiers of a new health psychology. American Psychologist, 35, 807-817.
• Johnston, M. (1990). HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY: EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVES. Papers of the Psychologist, 1, 46-47.
• Soto, f. Lacoste, J., Papenfuss, R. and Gutierrez, A. (1997). THE HEALTH BELIEF MODEL. A THEORETICAL APPROACH TO THE PREVENTION OF AIDS. Rev. Esp. Public Health, 71(4).
• friend, i (2012). Psychological manual of health. Madrid: Pyramid.