The
health belief model is a health behavior change and psychological model developed by Irwin M. Rosenstock in 1966 for studying and promoting the uptake of health services. The model was furthered by Becker and colleagues in the 1970s and 1980s. Subsequent amendments to the model were made as late as 1988, to accommodate evolving evidence generated within the health community about the role that knowledge and perceptions play in personal responsibility.Originally, the model was designed to predict behavioral response to the treatment received by acutely or chronically ill patients, but in more recent years the
health belief model has been used to predict more general crackpot health behaviors.