How useful is the Health Belief Model for the understanding of smoking behaviour?
Health behaviours are defined as behaviours that actively affect a person’s health positively or prevent illness, i.e. the choice not to smoke (Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary, 2012). Understanding the cognitions behind these processes is very complex, and as a result there have been many attempts to create models to explain them. The Health Belief Model (Rosenstock, 1966) is one of these models and this essay will explore how useful it can be in understanding smoking behaviour. This will be done by looking at the many studies supporting the model as well as the few opposing studies. Finally we will compare this model with others such as Theory of Planned behaviour …show more content…
The variables included in the model are demographic variables, such as age, sex, occupation, etc., personality traits (Extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness) and psychological factors, such as peer pressure and self-efficiency. For example if a female smoker aged 60 has a family history of heart disease, she might perceive herself to be more susceptible to heart disease which she knows to be life threatening. As a result she considers giving up smoking, however she might find this difficult because she has a stressful job and smoking allows her to relax, so she must weight up the benefits and costs. Her personality traits are conscientiousness and agreeableness, alongside high self-efficacy which encourages her health motivation, to quit smoking. This example might be completely different to an 18 year old male who has low risk of illness. Finally the model also includes cues that can influence smoking behaviour, i.e. cues to action will determine exactly when behaviour will occur. For example on a night out after an individual has been drinking, or during a break at work, is when smoking will occur. The Health Belief Model is useful here because it allows us to understand individual and situational differences, …show more content…
(2011) the main strength of the Health Belief model is that it appeals to the common-sense view, whereby it is understood by nearly all people, and it is logical as well. This statement is also supported by Abraham and Sheeran (2005). Because this model is so straightforward and easy to understand it also makes understanding smoking behaviour easier to understand. When compared to the Theory of Planned Behaviour (Conner and Sparks, 2005) the Health Belief model is also less complex. The Theory of planned behaviour suggests that behaviour is determined by intentions, and intentions are based on attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control. These variable are further influenced by our beliefs and external variables. This theory in general includes lots more factors than the health believe model, however, it’s clear that in both models the main key cognitions influencing behaviour are intention, self-efficacy and outcome expectancies, and so in some ways support each
Health behaviours are defined as behaviours that actively affect a person’s health positively or prevent illness, i.e. the choice not to smoke (Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary, 2012). Understanding the cognitions behind these processes is very complex, and as a result there have been many attempts to create models to explain them. The Health Belief Model (Rosenstock, 1966) is one of these models and this essay will explore how useful it can be in understanding smoking behaviour. This will be done by looking at the many studies supporting the model as well as the few opposing studies. Finally we will compare this model with others such as Theory of Planned behaviour …show more content…
The variables included in the model are demographic variables, such as age, sex, occupation, etc., personality traits (Extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness) and psychological factors, such as peer pressure and self-efficiency. For example if a female smoker aged 60 has a family history of heart disease, she might perceive herself to be more susceptible to heart disease which she knows to be life threatening. As a result she considers giving up smoking, however she might find this difficult because she has a stressful job and smoking allows her to relax, so she must weight up the benefits and costs. Her personality traits are conscientiousness and agreeableness, alongside high self-efficacy which encourages her health motivation, to quit smoking. This example might be completely different to an 18 year old male who has low risk of illness. Finally the model also includes cues that can influence smoking behaviour, i.e. cues to action will determine exactly when behaviour will occur. For example on a night out after an individual has been drinking, or during a break at work, is when smoking will occur. The Health Belief Model is useful here because it allows us to understand individual and situational differences, …show more content…
(2011) the main strength of the Health Belief model is that it appeals to the common-sense view, whereby it is understood by nearly all people, and it is logical as well. This statement is also supported by Abraham and Sheeran (2005). Because this model is so straightforward and easy to understand it also makes understanding smoking behaviour easier to understand. When compared to the Theory of Planned Behaviour (Conner and Sparks, 2005) the Health Belief model is also less complex. The Theory of planned behaviour suggests that behaviour is determined by intentions, and intentions are based on attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control. These variable are further influenced by our beliefs and external variables. This theory in general includes lots more factors than the health believe model, however, it’s clear that in both models the main key cognitions influencing behaviour are intention, self-efficacy and outcome expectancies, and so in some ways support each