Becker & The Health Belief Model

Question 1

What was the aim of Becker’s study of adherence?

Answer 1

To use the health belief model to explain mother’s adherence to their son’s medical regime.

Question 2

Describe the method used by Becker in his study of adherence.

Answer 2

Self-report, correlation and clinical tests.

• Self-report took the form of interviews concerning mother’s beliefs of their son’s medical regime and the self-reported administration of medicine.
• Correlation was used to correlate the mother’s beliefs found during the interview and their self-reported compliance with their child’s medical regime.
• Clinical tests were used as a covert blood test, in order to check the level of medication and confirm the validity of mother’s interview answers. (Only 70% of PPs received this)

Question 3

Describe the participants used by Becker in his study of adherence.

Answer 3

111 mothers aged 17-54 with children aged 9 months to 17 years old.

Question 4

Describe the procedure used by Becker in his study of adherence.

Answer 4

Each mother was interviewed for around 45 minutes and asked questions regarding their perceptions of;

• Their child’s susceptibility to illness and asthma.
• Their beliefs about how serious asthma is.
• How much their child’s asthma interfered with their education, caused embarrassment and interfered with the mother’s activities.

They were also asked about their faith in their doctor, and the effectiveness of the medication.

Question 5

What were the results of Becker’s study of adherence?

Answer 5

A positive correlation was found between a mother’s belief about her child’s susceptibility to asthma and their compliance to a medical regime. This was also true between compliance and beliefs regarding the severity of the asthma, and mothers who reported their child’s asthma as interfering with their own activities.

A negative correlation between compliance and disruption of daily activities, inaccessibility of chemists and the child complaining about the medication.

The two demographic variables which correlated with compliance were marital status (married mothers were more likely to comply) and education (those with higher education were more likely to apply).

Question 6

What was the conclusion to Becker’s study of adherence?

Answer 6

The HBM was a useful tool in predicting compliance to a medical regime.