Unit 8 – Promoting Public Health
Learning aim D: Investigate how health promotion encourages individuals to change their behaviour
in relation to their own health
In this assignment, I will investigate how health promotion encourages people to change their
behaviour when it comes to their own health. I'll begin by discussing how behaviour change theories
could be used to overcome barriers in Change4Life, as well as the features of this health campaign
and the approaches used to raise public awareness. I will also assess how Change4Life met the goals
of public health by implementing strategies and approaches to improve the health of its UK citizens.
P7: Explain how models or theories that justify behaviour change can be used to overcome barriers
in relation to a selected health promotion campaign.
M5: Analyse how theories or models and approaches have been used in a selected health promotion
campaign to overcome barriers and increase public awareness.
Health belief model:
Social psychologists developed the health belief model in the 1950s. The model examined people's
attitudes and beliefs in order to predict their health behaviours. The model proposed that if people
were faced with the threat of a disease that they believed would cause serious health problems for
them, they would change their attitudes toward their own health and take action to learn more
about the symptoms and the best way to treat it. However, if people do not believe they are in grave
danger, they will continue to live an unhealthy lifestyle in the mistaken belief that illness will not
strike them. This theoretical model can be used to guide programmes for health promotion and
disease prevention. It is used to explain and predict changes in individual health behaviours. It is one
of the most used models for analysing health behaviours. There are six factors which influence
behaviour or attitude changes. Susceptibility is a person's assessment of the likelihood of contracting
a disease. For example, if a young person believes that a certain disease only affects the elderly, they
are less likely to take precautions to avoid contracting it. The severity of the disease is determined by
the individual's perception of its impact on their health. The consequences range from the worst-
case scenario of death to disability, severe pain, and the length of illness. Benefits are an individual's
assessment of how much a medicine or treatment is worth. Barriers are perceived difficulties with
taking medications or receiving treatments, such as cost and physical and psychological side effects.
Individuals may use action prompts to take the prescribed action, such as using their mobile phone
to remind them to take the medicine, a wall or email calendar, and so on. The belief that an
individual has in taking the prescribed medicine or treatment is referred to as self-efficacy. Even if
they know the medicine is good for them, they may refuse to take it. Family and friends can
persuade the person to take it. Individuals should consider their susceptibility, which means whether
they believe they are at risk of obesity. They are less likely to change their behaviour if they believe
their health is not in jeopardy. Individuals are more likely to change their behaviour if they believe
they are in danger. Changing undesirable behaviours such as unhealthy eating at a young age, can
benefit people's future health by reducing health problems such as obesity. Obesity has a number of
negative health consequences, including long-term disease and death. People will almost certainly
alter their behaviour if they are a victim to this health issue. Perceived threat (a combination of
severity and susceptibility) overcomes to action, and perceived self-efficacy were all significantly
related to behavioural intention to lose weight. The health belief model could be used to predict
weight adjustment behaviours such as nutrition and physical activity. As a result, educational
interventions based on a health belief model may be effective in improving these behaviours in
obese and overweight individuals.
Learning aim D: Investigate how health promotion encourages individuals to change their behaviour
in relation to their own health
In this assignment, I will investigate how health promotion encourages people to change their
behaviour when it comes to their own health. I'll begin by discussing how behaviour change theories
could be used to overcome barriers in Change4Life, as well as the features of this health campaign
and the approaches used to raise public awareness. I will also assess how Change4Life met the goals
of public health by implementing strategies and approaches to improve the health of its UK citizens.
P7: Explain how models or theories that justify behaviour change can be used to overcome barriers
in relation to a selected health promotion campaign.
M5: Analyse how theories or models and approaches have been used in a selected health promotion
campaign to overcome barriers and increase public awareness.
Health belief model:
Social psychologists developed the health belief model in the 1950s. The model examined people's
attitudes and beliefs in order to predict their health behaviours. The model proposed that if people
were faced with the threat of a disease that they believed would cause serious health problems for
them, they would change their attitudes toward their own health and take action to learn more
about the symptoms and the best way to treat it. However, if people do not believe they are in grave
danger, they will continue to live an unhealthy lifestyle in the mistaken belief that illness will not
strike them. This theoretical model can be used to guide programmes for health promotion and
disease prevention. It is used to explain and predict changes in individual health behaviours. It is one
of the most used models for analysing health behaviours. There are six factors which influence
behaviour or attitude changes. Susceptibility is a person's assessment of the likelihood of contracting
a disease. For example, if a young person believes that a certain disease only affects the elderly, they
are less likely to take precautions to avoid contracting it. The severity of the disease is determined by
the individual's perception of its impact on their health. The consequences range from the worst-
case scenario of death to disability, severe pain, and the length of illness. Benefits are an individual's
assessment of how much a medicine or treatment is worth. Barriers are perceived difficulties with
taking medications or receiving treatments, such as cost and physical and psychological side effects.
Individuals may use action prompts to take the prescribed action, such as using their mobile phone
to remind them to take the medicine, a wall or email calendar, and so on. The belief that an
individual has in taking the prescribed medicine or treatment is referred to as self-efficacy. Even if
they know the medicine is good for them, they may refuse to take it. Family and friends can
persuade the person to take it. Individuals should consider their susceptibility, which means whether
they believe they are at risk of obesity. They are less likely to change their behaviour if they believe
their health is not in jeopardy. Individuals are more likely to change their behaviour if they believe
they are in danger. Changing undesirable behaviours such as unhealthy eating at a young age, can
benefit people's future health by reducing health problems such as obesity. Obesity has a number of
negative health consequences, including long-term disease and death. People will almost certainly
alter their behaviour if they are a victim to this health issue. Perceived threat (a combination of
severity and susceptibility) overcomes to action, and perceived self-efficacy were all significantly
related to behavioural intention to lose weight. The health belief model could be used to predict
weight adjustment behaviours such as nutrition and physical activity. As a result, educational
interventions based on a health belief model may be effective in improving these behaviours in
obese and overweight individuals.
