Health Belief Model / Protection Motivation Theory

1
Health Belief Model / Protection Motivation Theory

• EPHE 348

2
History of the HBM

• Developed in the 50s by the U.S. Public Health
  Service
• Social psychologists were asked to explain why
  people do not participate in health behaviors
  (Rosenstock, 1960 1966)
• Developed based on operant and cognitive-behaviora
  l theory

3
Premise of the HBM

• Individuals will take action to ward off, to
  screen for, or to control an ill health condition
  if
• 1) they regard themselves as susceptible to the
  condition
• 2) they believe it to have potentially serious
  consequences
• 3) they believe a course of action can reduce the
  susceptibility and seriousness
• 4) they believe the costs of the action are
  outweighed by its benefits

4
Components of the HBM

• Perceived Susceptibility
• an individuals perception of her or his risk of
  contracting a health condition
• Perceived Severity
• an individuals perception of the seriousness of
  a health condition if left untreated
• Note the combination of these is the perceived
  threat of the health condition (emotive response
  is fear)

5
Components of the HBM

• Perceived Benefits
• the perceived effectiveness of taking action to
  improve a health condition
• Perceived Barriers
• the perceived impediments to taking action to
  improve a health condition

6
Components of the HBM

• Cues to Action
• Body or environmental events that trigger the HBM

7
Health Belief Model
8
Additional Components?

• Self-Efficacy
• confidence to continue the healthy behavior and
  overcome temptations
• Now an additional component of the HBM

9
Protection Motivation Theory(Rogers, 1984)

• Extension and re-working of HBM
• Intention to protect oneself is the proximal
  determinant of health behavior

10
Protection Motivation Theory

• Intention is dependent on four components
• 1) perceived susceptibility
• 2) perceived severity
• 3) Self-efficacy
• 4) Response efficacy (benefits versus barriers)
• Susceptibility and severity are considered
  perceived threat
• Response efficacy and self-efficacy are
  considered coping efficacy

11
Protection Motivation Theory
12
Where Do We Intervene?

• Educate about threat (vulnerability,
  susceptibility)
• Fear appraisals
• Educate about coping (response efficacy,
  self-efficacy)
• Health education

13
Evaluating the HBM/PMT

• APPLICABILITY TO PRACTICE (IS IT USEFUL?)
• Coping efficacy is the most important component
• Self-efficacy (and perceived barriers) is the
  most influential component for health behavior
• Perceived severity is the weakest component
• Health behaviors are long-term?
• Perceived vulnerability often influences
  intentions but not behavior

14
Evaluating the HBM/PMT

• COMPREHENSIVE (Does it explain behavior
  completely?)
• No
• What about other motives for behavior other than
  health? These motives appear untapped for
  explaining behavior.

15
Application Exercise

• Please choose a health behavior and population
• Assume you are an advertising specialist
  contracted to develop a persuasive communication
  (poster, news advertisement etc.) to improve the
  health behavior for the population
• Create a message that includes severity,
  susceptibility, response efficacy, and
  self-efficacy for the target population