Health Belief Model Review: Suggestions to Consider in Extending the Model for Application in the African Context

Abstract

While scholars use many theories and models in health communication, only a handful of them are commonly used in studies focusing on behavior change and prediction. One of these is the Health Belief Model. Even though the model has been applied widely, not much has been done to contextualize the model for contemporary application in Africa. In the absence of a theory by and for Africans that addresses behavior prediction from a health communication viewpoint, there is a need to contextualize the available theories for application in the African context. This study aims to expose additional constructs that have been proposed to contextualize HBM for studies in the continent. Such suggestions for extensions and additional constructs could provide insights into gaps that scholars see as not addressed by the original version of HBM. This essay reviews 9 articles that either proposed or recommended additional constructs. The findings of the review show that to contextualize the model for application in Africa, some of the key additional constructs to consider are community influence, cultural background, subjective norms, social support, and environmental factors.