scholarly journals Incorporating individual health-protective decisions into disease transmission models: a mathematical framework

2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (68) ◽  
pp. 562-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
David P. Durham ◽  
Elizabeth A. Casman
Keyword(s):  
Health Belief Model ◽  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Situational Awareness ◽  
Health Belief ◽  
Transmission Model ◽  
Mathematical Framework ◽  
Decision Algorithm ◽  
Belief Model ◽  
The Health Belief Model

It is anticipated that the next generation of computational epidemic models will simulate both infectious disease transmission and dynamic human behaviour change. Individual agents within a simulation will not only infect one another, but will also have situational awareness and a decision algorithm that enables them to modify their behaviour. This paper develops such a model of behavioural response, presenting a mathematical interpretation of a well-known psychological model of individual decision making, the health belief model, suitable for incorporation within an agent-based disease-transmission model. We formalize the health belief model and demonstrate its application in modelling the prevalence of facemask use observed over the course of the 2003 Hong Kong SARS epidemic, a well-documented example of behaviour change in response to a disease outbreak.

scholarly journals Public health messages on arboviruses transmitted by Aedes aegypti in Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
India L. Clancy ◽  
Robert T. Jones ◽  
Grace M. Power ◽  
James G. Logan ◽  
Jorge Alberto Bernstein Iriart ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Belief Model ◽  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Health Belief ◽  
Health Messages ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
Potential Effectiveness ◽  
Public Health Messages ◽  
Belief Model ◽  
The Health Belief Model

Abstract Background The outbreak of Zika virus in Brazil in 2015 followed the arrival of chikungunya in 2014 and a long history of dengue circulation. Vital to the response to these outbreaks of mosquito-borne pathogens has been the dissemination of public health messages, including those promoted through risk communication posters. This study explores the content of a sample of posters circulated in Brazil towards the end of the Zika epidemic in 2017 and analyses their potential effectiveness in inducing behaviour change. Methods A content analysis was performed on 37 posters produced in Brazil to address outbreaks of mosquito-borne pathogens. The six variables of the Health Belief Model were used to assess the potential effectiveness of the posters to induce behaviour change. Results Three overarching key messages emerged from the posters. These included (i) the arboviruses and their outcomes, (ii) a battle against the mosquito, and (iii) a responsibility to protect and prevent. Among the six variables utilised through the Health Belief Model, cues to action were most commonly featured, whilst the perceived benefits of engaging in behaviours to prevent arbovirus transmission were the least commonly featured. Conclusions The posters largely focused on mosquito-borne transmission and the need to eliminate breeding sites, and neglected the risk of the sexual and congenital transmission of Zika and the importance of alternative preventive actions. This, we argue, may have limited the potential effectiveness of these posters to induce behaviour change.

scholarly journals Assessing knowledge and self-report intention from COVID-19 symptoms based on the Health Belief Model among international students in Heilongjiang, China: a cross-sectional study

BMJ Open ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. e050867
Author(s):  
Omar Yacouba Ismael ◽  
Yuanheng Li ◽  
Zhuowa Sha ◽  
Qunhong Wu ◽  
Lifeng Wei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Health Belief Model ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Health Belief ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
Belief Model ◽  
Willingness To Report ◽  
The Health Belief Model

BackgroundA COVID-19 outbreak has been contained in China through effective prevention measures with the collaboration of the citizens. However, there is resistance to self-reported symptoms as required in the international student community. This study explored knowledge level and symptoms reporting behaviours toward COVID-19 among international students.MethodsAn online cross-sectional investigation was conducted among 119 international students across Heilongjiang province and questionnaires implemented through WeChat between 1 and 25 March 2020. The results were explained using descriptive Χ2 test and binary logistic regression analysis using SPSS V.20.ResultsIn total, 119 international students participated, with a response rate of 90.16%. Of the 119 respondents, 96 (80.7%) knew COVID-19 symptoms, 109 (91.6%) took cognisance of questions on the importance of the maintenance of wearing masks and 113 (95%) on questions regarding hand hygiene in the prevention of disease transmission. However, results show that there were still large gaps in knowledge about questions regarding the virus and the treatment methods (many participants incorrectly believed that the virus could be kill by drinking alcohol or smoking). In addition, more than half of the participants declared compliance with positive health behaviours, however 27.7% did not agree with vaccination (if any), and 31.1% did not agree to be quarantined after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Furthermore, 20 participants (16, 80%) expressed an inclination to deliberately withhold symptoms. Variables in the Health Belief Model showed a significant association with behavioural change.ConclusionFrom our study, we found that there is evident knowledge about COVID-19 among international students, although orientation and sensitisation are still required. Those who were aware of the benefits of reporting, the severity of COVID-19 and the legal consequences of deliberately concealing information showed a greater willingness to report; conversely, those who believed reporting is very inconvenient and feared being quarantined after reporting showed less willingness to report. A study focusing on international students’ knowledge and behaviour amid the pandemic will provide information for countries to cut off the chain of disease transmission of all variants of COVID-19.

Using the Health Belief Model to Explore the Impact of Environmental Empathy on Behavioral Intentions to Protect Ocean Health

2020 ◽  
pp. 001391652093263
Author(s):  
Sojung Claire Kim ◽  
Sandra L. Cooke
Keyword(s):  
Health Belief Model ◽  
Behavioral Intentions ◽  
Health Belief ◽  
Positive Behaviors ◽  
Mediating Mechanisms ◽  
Emotional Aspects ◽  
The Media ◽  
Belief Model ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Health Belief Model

We examine psychological mediating mechanisms to promote ocean health among the U.S. public. Ocean acidification (OA) was chosen as the focus, as experts consider it as important as climate change with the same cause of humanity’s excessive carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, but it is lesser known. Empathy is a multi-dimensional concept that includes cognitive and emotional aspects. Previous literature argues that environmental empathy can facilitate positive behaviors. We tested the hypothesis that empathy affects beliefs and behavioral intentions regarding ocean health using the Health Belief Model. We found that higher empathy toward ocean health led to higher perceived susceptibility and severity from OA, greater perceived benefits of CO2 emissions reduction, greater perceived barriers, and keener attention to the media. Beliefs and media attention positively influenced behavioral intentions (e.g., willingness to buy a fuel efficient car). Theoretical and practical implications regarding audience targeting and intervention design are discussed.

scholarly journals Users’ Beliefs Toward Physical Distancing in Facebook Pages of Public Health Authorities During COVID-19 Pandemic in Early 2020

2021 ◽  
pp. 109019812110144
Author(s):  
Soon Guan Tan ◽  
Aravind Sesagiri Raamkumar ◽  
Hwee Lin Wee
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Belief Model ◽  
United States Public Health ◽  
Health Belief ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Belief Model ◽  
The Health Belief Model

This study aims to describe Facebook users’ beliefs toward physical distancing measures implemented during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic using the key constructs of the health belief model. A combination of rule-based filtering and manual classification methods was used to classify user comments on COVID-19 Facebook posts of three public health authorities: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States, Public Health England, and Ministry of Health, Singapore. A total of 104,304 comments were analyzed for posts published between 1 January, 2020, and 31 March, 2020, along with COVID-19 cases and deaths count data from the three countries. Findings indicate that the perceived benefits of physical distancing measures ( n = 3,463; 3.3%) was three times higher than perceived barriers ( n = 1,062; 1.0%). Perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 ( n = 2,934; 2.8%) was higher compared with perceived severity ( n = 2,081; 2.0%). Although susceptibility aspects of physical distancing were discussed more often at the start of the year, mentions on the benefits of intervention emerged stronger toward the end of the analysis period, highlighting the shift in beliefs. The health belief model is useful for understanding Facebook users’ beliefs at a basic level, and it provides a scope for further improvement.

Using the health belief model to assess the impact of student pharmacist-led health outreach events

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 694-698
Author(s):  
Angela Chu ◽  
Brittany M. Harnicher ◽  
Bertha P. Castrellon ◽  
Jeffrey A. Bowers ◽  
Guogen Shan
Keyword(s):  
Health Belief Model ◽  
Health Belief ◽  
Belief Model ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Health Belief Model
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