The Health Belief Model and entry into alcoholism treatment

The Health Belief Model (HBM) was used to study alcoholism treatment utilization. In-treatment (INT) samples of male and female subjects were compared with male and female subjects in two not-in-treatment (NOT) problem-drinker groups on variables hypothesized to affect health-related behavior. Only two of the five HBM components--perceived severity and cues to action--showed strong, consistent relationships with the decision to enter treatment. Women and men in treatment had higher perceived illness severity than those not in treatment. The INT sample reported a greater number of unusual events (cues to action) during the previous month than the NOT group.