Health Belief Model
This model was initially developed by Rosenstock in 1974, but then further developed by Becker and Maiman in the 70’s and 80’s.
According to Willis & Campbell in 1992 it “was developed to help predict compliance with preventative health recommendations.
The health Belief Model states that the likelihood of an idividual taking part in preventative health behaviours like exercise will depened on the indivuals view on the severity of the potential illness and the costs and benefits of doing the exercise (Becker & Maiman, 1975)
Core Elements of the HBM
· A persons readiness to take action is determined by two things:
Perceived susceptibility to illness.
Perceptions on the severity of the consequences.
· Internal or External Stimulus
Cues to the actions
Demographic Variables
This is a diagram to show the core elements as made by Becker & Maiman in 1975:
The HBM basically is the assumption that an individual will decide to exercise or take part in sport regularly if their lifestyle is threatened. For example their health and worries about it will make them realise that taking part in regular exercise will reduce risks and it wont be hard to do.
Research into the HBM
In 1984, Janz & Becker looked at and reviewed 46 studies on a variety of different preventative health behaviours and they found that “Percieved barriers were found to be the best predictor.”
Also in 1984, Slenker, Price, Roberts & Jurs found that “Perceived Barriers” explained 40% of the variance in jogging behaviour. “Perceived Susceptibility” was a weak factor in explaining variance. The researchers stated that all the variables affecting exercise behaviour could be potentially modified through using education.
Tirrell & Hart in 1980 explored the relationship between the beliefs and knowledge about health and the subsequent exercise compliance among coronary bypass patients. The perception of barriers was most strongly associated with the compliance. However, the individuals that that perceived themselves to getting further coronary incidents were the least compliant.
