Health Beliefs

Introduction

• Health behaviours aim to Prevent Disease
• Illness behaviours aim to Seek Remedy
• Sick role behaviours aim to Become Well
  • Health Impairing habits, Health Protective behaviours

Health Belief Model

• Factors influencing readiness for Health related actions
• Effective Interventions use HBM to target an individuals perceptions
  • Perceptions can be improved via Education

Attribution theory

• Motivation to perceive their social world as predictable and controllable
• Identifying and understanding causalities
• Comparisons: Internal/External. Unstable/Stable. Controllable/Uncontrollable
  • Eg. Int/Ext - Crediting oneself for success/Blaming others for failure
• Attributions of Causality - D.C.C(x2)

Risk Perception

• Continuation of Unhealthy Behaviour is as a result of inaccurate perception of Risk & Susceptibility
• Unrealistic Optimism - Belief that one is unlikely to suffer from a condition
• Cognitive Factors - Beliefs
• Risk Compensation

Health Locus of Control

• Measuring the extent to which a person believes their health can be personally controlled