Health Belief Model

Perceived Threat

Perceived threat is a combination of two concepts:

• Susceptibility. This is the subjective perception of the individual's risk of developing an illness. In the context of an existing illness, it includes susceptibility to complications of advanced or recurrent disease, acceptance of the diagnosis, as well as more general susceptibility to health problems.
• Perceived Severity. Perceived severity is the sense of how serious an illness is and the consequences of leaving it untreated. This concept includes the perception of the possible physical consequences of an illness (e.g., pain, death) and the broader range of social consequences in a person's life (e.g., disability, stigmatization).

Perceived Benefits

Perceived benefits relate to the anticipated positive effects of taking action. This includes beliefs about the effectiveness of a course of action in reducing the disease threat, as well as other potential benefits not directly related to health (e.g., quitting smoking might be seen as a way to save money or set a good example for one's children).

Perceived Barriers

Perceived barriers are the potential negative consequences or costs associated with taking an action to improve health. The factors that could impede a course of action might include concerns about the expense, possible discomfort or danger associated with the [Page 464]action (e.g., fears about pain or radiation exposure from a mammogram), and inconvenience or competition with other valued activities (e.g., having to miss work to get to an appointment). The wide range of potential barriers include logistical barriers such as cost or lack of convenient access to services, and emotional barriers such as fears about physical or emotional harm (including fear of getting a cancer diagnosis). In addition, when addressing changes in lifestyle and personal habits that may be rewarding in their own right (eating high-fat foods or smoking cigarettes), the habit strength or the loss of pleasurable activities (if not addiction) may prove to be potent barriers to health behavior change.

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