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Perceived
Benefits
This is related to “how will I benefit if I take the recommended course of
action”? Individuals must feel that the recommended behavior will be successful in
protecting them from the health problem of concern. They must have confidence in the
behavior, the vaccine, or the screening procedure in order for them to undertake the
practice. The perception of a positive benefit is very important for the public to want to
adopt a preventive action. For example, confidence in the efficacy of the flu vaccine
should increase the likelihood of seeking the vaccine.
Perceived Barriers
The perception of any negative consequences of taking a preventive action is
represented under perceived barriers. These could be in the form of high cost, taking too
much time, transportation issues, childcare issues, or being painful. Experts report that
practicing safe sex represents a host of barriers, particularly to adolescents, that must
be addressed for more successful adherence to recommendations.
Of all the four belief categories of the model, perceived barriers have the
greatest predictive value of whether or not people will practice the behavior. In other
words, if people see strong reasons for their not following preventive action, it is very
likely that they will not take action. This is important information for health promotion
program developers. |