The health belief model

In the 1950s US public health researchers began developing psychological models designed to enhance the effectiveness of health education programmes (Hochbaum, 1958). Demographic factors such as socio-economic status, gender, ethnicity and age were known to be associated with preventive health behaviours and use of health services (Rosenstock, 1974), but these factors could not be modified through health education. Thus the challenge was to develop effective health education targeting modifiable, individual characteristics that predicted preventive health behaviour and service usage.