Health Belief Model Essay

I chose to use the Health Belief Model, borrowed from the behavioral sciences, which explain the health behavior of the individuals. According to Rosenstock (1988), Health Belief Model contains six constructs: 1) perceived susceptibility, 2) perceived severity, 3) perceived benefits, 4) perceived barriers, 5) cues to action, and 6) self-efficacy.

Rosenstock, Strecher, and Becker (1994) describe perceived susceptibility as whether an individual regards himself or herself as susceptible to acquiring an illness or being harmed due to engaging or not engaging in a behavior. Perceived susceptibility motivates individuals to be vaccinated for flu and to use sunscreen to prevent skin cancer. Perceived severity is the personal belief of an individual

This can influence your perception of the severity of the illness. Perceived benefits are an individuals’ view of the usefulness of a new behavior in decreasing the risk of developing a disease (Rosenstock et al., 1994). One example is the breast self-exam which can be an effective tool for early breast cancer detection. Perceived barriers are the individual’s own evaluation of the obstacles while adopting a new behavior (Rosenstock et al., 1994). Cues to action refer to the precipitating and mediating factors that stimulate an individual to take or maintain an action and can be internal or external (Rosenstock et al., 1994). Examples include illness of a family member, media reports, or advice from others. According to Rosenstock (1988) self-efficacy suggests that if an individual does not feel

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality for adults. The main risk factors for the development of CVD include hypertension, obesity, alcohol consumption, and tobacco use; these factors are prevented or reduced through lifestyle changes (Poudel & Sumi, 2017). The result of the study found that perceived susceptibility to CVDs was low among adults, which means that people do not feel susceptible to CVDs. The study also showed the low perceived severity suggested that young adults did not recognize their own risk status. The perceived benefits were good among participants; they agreed that eating a healthy diet and exercising for 30 min a day was one of the best methods to prevent heart attack or stroke (Poudel & Sumi, 2017). Participants with a low educational level perceived more barriers than others which point to that as knowledge increases, perceived barriers decrease. Poudel, and Sumi (2017) study concluded that educational intervention must pursue to eliminate common misconceptions about heart disease and mainly help to promote awareness about risk management for CVDs among young adults, women, and minority