Applying the Health Belief Model to assess prevention services among young adults

The Health Belief Model (HBM) is one of the many models in health education that can be used as the basis for health promotion programs. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act promoted the benefits of preventive care while reducing barriers for young adults to access the health insurance and preventive measures. The purpose of this analysis was to assess the perceived susceptibility, perceived seriousness of health conditions and access to preventive services among young adults. Data were collected from 821 young adults in the northeast region of the United States. Results indicated that there were significant differences based on gender, health status and age on the perceived susceptibility or perceived seriousness of eight major health conditions. In addition, there were significant differences between males and females in regards to the use of prevention services based on their perceptions of susceptibility and seriousness. Results of this study indicate that the HBM constructs of perceived susceptibility and perceived seriousness might play a significant role for young adults to use health preventive services. Future health education and promotion efforts to increase use of preventive services should focus on perceptions of susceptibility and seriousness in young adults.