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The Disadvantages of Using the Health Behavior Theory

Health behavior theory is a combination of social behavioral theory and learning theory. The idea is that people want to be healthy, but their behaviors can fail to make the changes necessary to be healthy. Health behavior theory suggests methods that doctors can use to inform people about important health issues, while helping them change their basic behaviors to be healthier.

  1. Health Belief Model

    • The health belief model focuses on health behaviors and individual's choices, founded on the person's beliefs and attitudes. This includes the individual's unwillingness to believe that they are susceptible to various infections and the choices that people make, based on this perceived susceptibility. Unfortunately, an individual's beliefs compete against other beliefs for significance and control, making this technique questionable for some behaviors. For instance, a person may actually be aware and concerned about the negative health effects of smoking, but, as a result of habitual influences, not be able to force himself to quit.

    Social Cognitive Theory

    • Social cognitive theory explores the interaction between individuals and the environmental factors, personal factors and behaviors that affect an individual's changing ideas about health. Social cognitive theory uses learning techniques, such as observation and direct personal learning, to gain knowledge about various health concerns. Unfortunately, social cognitive theory fails to account for the need for self-efficacy: the ability to self motivate and carry out a task. For instance, an individual may have the self-efficacy to start a regular workout program, but not have the self-efficacy to change their normal eating habits.

    Consumer Information Processing Model

    • The consumer information processing model considers the relation of information to knowledge. The idea is that you can give individuals information, but they must process it and understand it before it becomes knowledge. Similarly, you can provide information about health issues to people, but they must understand the way the information relates to them before they can change their behavior. The CIP model suggests that you should provide information in a familiar, easy to understand, form and make this information accessible. Unfortunately, the availability of health information fails to provide the motivation for people to read it and understand it.

    Transtheoretical Model

    • Transtheoretical theory suggests that people move through different stages of readiness to accept health information. The theory tracks people's willingness from the precontemplation phase, where they are unaware of the problem. Transtheoretical theory suggests that an individual's motivation to understand and change their health behaviors. Unfortunately, the transtheoretical model fails to provide a guide that describes how an individual moves from one stage to another and the theory admits that stage changes can be sporadic. For instance, an individual can move from intending to change behavior someday to planning to change, and then return to just an intention without warning.

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