Health behaviour

Health Psychology Perspectives on Daily Consumption of Sugary Drinks: A Case Study of John Name Affiliation Course Instructor Date Health Psychology Perspectives on Daily Consumption of Sugary Drinks: A Case Study of John Description of the Individual John is a 35-year-old male office worker from Singapore who regularly consumes sugary drinks. He is more of an indoor person, and he is always tired. Realizing that high-sugar food products are not healthy for his body helps John understand that stress and convenience make it extremely difficult for him to change this behavior. Section 1: Health Belief Model Analysis Summary and Explanation of the Health Belief Model The Health Belief Model (HBM) is a psychological model formulated to predict and explain health behaviors by focusing on one's perception. Many elements draw from a model that postulates that action readiness depends on perceptions of the individual's susceptibility to a disease or other health threats and the perceived efficacy of preventing the threats (LaMorte, 2022a). The HBM comprises four key components: first, perceived susceptibility, which is an individual's estimate of the probability of acquiring a disease; second, perceived severity, which concerns an individual's belief about the consequences of contracting the disease and how it will affect them (Shan, 2020). Thirdly, perceived benefit is an individual's belief in the efficacy of available methods to reduce the risk or severity of the disease (Tan et al., 2021). Lastly, a perceived barrier, which is the perceived cost or impediments to using those methods altogether, these components yields an overall account of behaviors that could be promoted for or discouraged by persons. Discussion of the Individual’s Four Health Beliefs According to the Health Belief Model, an individual's health beliefs profoundly impact their practices. Firstly, regarding perceived susceptibility, John is aware and sure that he can hardly fall victim to some diseases such as diabetes or high obesity, yet he takes sweet-based juices daily (Shan, 2020). Of such beliefs, the fact that he has no family with such diseases and he is young makes him underestimate his risks. Second, regarding perceived severity, John concedes that high sugar intake can cause severe health problems. However, he does not consider them to be a significant concern, and this is essentially because of his optimistic bias and all due to experiential vulnerability that he does not suffer severe health problems (Boskey, 2024). Thirdly, regarding perceived benefits, John knows that less sugar-containing beverages may benefit him physically. When John has more energy, he does not perceive the benefits for himself shortly. Therefore, he sees no purpose in changing his behavior (Government of Singapore, 2020). Lastly, the perceived barriers include John's inability to quit taking sugary products owing to the readiness and stress relieving attributes associated with such products, given his stressed working environment and easy access to these products. These barriers make it seem like an impossible dream to bring down his chance of consuming sugars in the form of sugary drinks. Influence of Psychosocial Factors on Health Beliefs John's health beliefs are also influenced by psychosocial factors, including his daily sugary drink intake. For the perceived susceptibility, John has never seen any family m...