Health belief model

Abstract

In this article, we explained the health belief model (HBM) in detail. We also talked about its origins and related theories. In short, HBM is a model arguing that people’s belief about their health can predict their health-related behaviors. Being one of the most widely accepted models in the field, it is used in many areas. But it’s not without downsides. Many researchers find HBM is not good enough in predicting health behavior and they believe that this model has a lot to improve. Therefore, we also examined possible additions to HBM variables. The standard variables are perceived susceptibility, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and perceived severity. And one of the most important additions is self-efficacy and health motivation. Additionally, we talked about HBM in Turkey. We examined a few studies to get a grasp of the current situation of the model in the country. One study in Turkey finds that although the perceived benefits of mammography are higher than perceived barriers, women in rural areas did not undergo mammography at optimal rates. In conclusion, we think that the HBM model is indeed useful, but may also need a lot of improvement, particularly in the sociopsychological aspect. As an example, we examined a study regarding smoking cessation in relation to the HBM model.