Describe the constructs of the Health Belief Model applied to your chosen behavior (3-5 pages)
• Define the constructs and their interconnectedness in your own words.
• Use a professional, academic source for each construct. You will use this to describe the commonality of your perceptions of the behavior.
• Apply each construct to your chosen health behavior.
• Describe your level of confidence in changing your targeted health behavior.
Sample Answer
The Health Belief Model: A Framework for Understanding Health Behavior Change
The Health Belief Model (HBM) is one of the most widely used conceptual frameworks in public health and health education, developed in the 1950s by social psychologists Hochbaum, Rosenstock, and Kegels. Its primary purpose is to explain and predict individual health behaviors by focusing on individuals' attitudes and beliefs about health conditions and recommended health actions. The model posits that an individual's readiness to take action regarding a health condition is largely influenced by their perceptions of the severity of the health threat, their susceptibility to it, the benefits of taking action, and the barriers to doing so. These core perceptual constructs are interconnected, forming a cognitive calculus that drives decision-making related to health.