Health belief model

In social psychology, the health belief model (HBM) is a psychological framework used to explain and predict individuals' potentially detrimental behaviors, attitudes and beliefs on their health. Developed in the 1950s by social psychologists at the United States Public Health Service, the model examines how perceptions of susceptibility to illness, the severity of health conditions, the benefits of preventive care, and barriers to healthcare influence behavior. The HBM is widely used in health behavior research and public health interventions to understand and promote engagement in health-protective behaviors.^[1][2] It also incorporates concepts similar to the transtheoretical model like self-efficacy, or confidence in one's ability to take action, and identifies the role of cues to action or stimulus, such as health campaigns or medical advice, in prompting behavior change.^[3]