Explain two models of behaviour change that have
been used in recent national health education
campaigns
This essay will be explaining the health belief model and the stages of change cycle; it will
summarise the main features of each model and then explain how each of these model can
be used in campaigns.
The health belief model states that in order for an individual to change their behaviour, they
need to believe at least one of the following: they are susceptible to a disease, the disease is
serious, the change is beneficial to them, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, they can
do it and they may also need a trigger in order to push them into making a change to their
behaviour.
Susceptible to a disease means that due to how you are behaving – whether it is
your diet choices or lifestyle choice – it increases your chance of developing a
particular disease
Believing that the disease is serious means that you need to be aware of the health
implications that come along with the disease you are making yourself prone to, so
you realise the seriousness of the effects of your behaviour choices
Believing the change is beneficial to them means that you need to be convinced that
it will benefit you if you go out of your way, and make the effort to change your
behaviour. People are not likely to change their behaviour if they don’t believe it will
not benefit them
Believing the benefits outweigh the disadvantages of changing behaviour means
that – similar to believing the change is beneficial – you need to be persuaded and
convinced that by changing your behaviour, you will reap more advantages from this
than you would disadvantages
People need to believe that they can change their behaviour, in order to change their
behaviour. If they do not believe that they can change their behaviour then they will
not bother to try and change
Lastly, some people need a trigger/cue in order to change their behaviour which can
be something that motivates them or a change in their mind-set. For example, a
woman getting pregnant may push her to deciding to quit smoking, or if a friend has
successfully quitted smoking it may encourage them to try it themselves
Some people need to believe more than one of these
statements in order for them to decide to change their
behaviour, whereas some will only need one of these but
the model believes that if somebody decides to change
their behaviour, then they believe at least one of these.
The health belief model can be used in conjunction with
the Change 4 Life campaign, which is a government
campaign which encourages families to improve their
diet and exercise more. The Change 4 Life campaign can be seen using the health belief
been used in recent national health education
campaigns
This essay will be explaining the health belief model and the stages of change cycle; it will
summarise the main features of each model and then explain how each of these model can
be used in campaigns.
The health belief model states that in order for an individual to change their behaviour, they
need to believe at least one of the following: they are susceptible to a disease, the disease is
serious, the change is beneficial to them, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, they can
do it and they may also need a trigger in order to push them into making a change to their
behaviour.
Susceptible to a disease means that due to how you are behaving – whether it is
your diet choices or lifestyle choice – it increases your chance of developing a
particular disease
Believing that the disease is serious means that you need to be aware of the health
implications that come along with the disease you are making yourself prone to, so
you realise the seriousness of the effects of your behaviour choices
Believing the change is beneficial to them means that you need to be convinced that
it will benefit you if you go out of your way, and make the effort to change your
behaviour. People are not likely to change their behaviour if they don’t believe it will
not benefit them
Believing the benefits outweigh the disadvantages of changing behaviour means
that – similar to believing the change is beneficial – you need to be persuaded and
convinced that by changing your behaviour, you will reap more advantages from this
than you would disadvantages
People need to believe that they can change their behaviour, in order to change their
behaviour. If they do not believe that they can change their behaviour then they will
not bother to try and change
Lastly, some people need a trigger/cue in order to change their behaviour which can
be something that motivates them or a change in their mind-set. For example, a
woman getting pregnant may push her to deciding to quit smoking, or if a friend has
successfully quitted smoking it may encourage them to try it themselves
Some people need to believe more than one of these
statements in order for them to decide to change their
behaviour, whereas some will only need one of these but
the model believes that if somebody decides to change
their behaviour, then they believe at least one of these.
The health belief model can be used in conjunction with
the Change 4 Life campaign, which is a government
campaign which encourages families to improve their
diet and exercise more. The Change 4 Life campaign can be seen using the health belief
