Last update:
15-Jul-2010

Human behavior plays a more important role than the development of medical science and improvement of living conditions in the reduction of health problems and premature deaths. Changes in human behavior can occur as the result of many factors. Inappropriate behavior and mistaken health perceptions increase the likelihood of diseases. Every intervention aimed at prevention should focus on knowledge of the factors that define people's behavior. In order to discover the factors that are implicated in a preventive behavior such as the use of condoms, the Health Belief Model (HBM) can be used, which constitutes a valuable tool in predicting health behaviors. Based on this model, the adoption of specific behaviors is the result of the expectations and the perceived value of the positive consequences that this behavior will produce. The HBM, however, has certain limitations, such as the fact that it fails to take into consideration factors such as habits, social activities, the environment, and the apathy demonstrated by many people for health issues. It lacks an appropriate function which would enable linkage between the six constituents of the model. The limitations of use of the model in this particular context include the controversial opinions in terms of the association between the model and unprotected sexual intercourse and the fact that the model does not include the emotional dimensions of sexual intercourse.

Key words: Beliefs, Health Belief Model, Prevention, Risk behaviors, STD.