When a person is aware of a person’s tendency to a problem or situation, it does not necessarily mean that they are motivated to take the necessary precautions unless he or she realizes that getting the condition can have serious physical and social consequences. This is when one realizes the magnitude of the negative effects of the condition. The perceived susceptibility refers to the risk of a person presenting personal risk in order to improve the health status. In other words, it is a personal belief about the possibility of contracting a disease or a dangerous condition as a result of indulging in certain behaviors. This construct explains that people will be more motivated to behave in a healthy way if they believe they are at risk of some adverse health outcome (Rosenstock, 1966). A personal view of risk or vulnerability is important in promoting the adoption of healthy behavior (Abraham and Sheeran, 2005). Visual vulnerability is a prediction of a number of health-promoting behaviors including smoking cessation, breast self-examination, healthy dental behavior, and healthy eating and exercise (Abraham and Sheeran, 2005). People are very different in their perception that there may be serious health conditions or diseases. In general, the higher the risk considered, the greater the chance that a person will engage in risky behaviors. For example, the chances of a person engaging in preventive behavior to prevent HIV infection may depend on how much you believe you are at risk of contracting the virus. From HBM’s point of view, the likelihood that people will engage in preventive behaviors to prevent HIV depends on how much they believe they are at risk or at risk of cancer. Often, it has been found that people tend to underestimate their tendency to get sick. The hypothesis suggests that a person who feels vulnerable to a particular disease is more likely to take behavioral measures carefully. Some researchers have found significant relationships between condom use and visual effects (Basen-Engquist, 1992; Hounton, Carabin, and Henderson, 2005; Mahoney, Thombs, and Ford, 1995; Steers et al., 1996), while others have found relationships (Honton, Carabin, and Henderson, 2005; Volk and Koopman, 2001). Measurement problems may explain other conflicts. PERCEIVED SEVERITY Perceived severity is how serious an individuals perceive the consequences of developing a health condition will be. It deals with an individual’s subjective belief in the extent of harm that can be caused from acquiring the disease as a result of a particular behavior. An individual is more likely to take any action to prevent contracting HIV if they believe that the possible negative psychological and social effects resulting from becoming infected pose serious consequences e.g, death and social relationships difficulties. Generally, if the undesirable health outcome will not have a large impact on an individual’s life, they will not be motivated to act in accordance to avoiding it, even when they are is at risk.The seriousness of a health condition is based o medical knowledge, it may also come from an individual’s belief about the difficulties a disease would create or the effects it would have on their lives (McCormick-Brown, 1999). Perceptions of AIDS severity address the perceived costs of being HIV-positive. Perceived seriousness, in this case, refers to the personal evaluation and social consequences of contracting HIV and developing AIDS. Some might argue that asking about AIDS severity would be a waste of time, as it is based on the assumption that everyone would report AIDS to be an extremely severe disease. As reported by Rosenstock, Strecher, and Becker (1994), several research studies have not included measures on HIV/AIDS perceived severity. PERCEIVED BENEFITS This is the most important construct, even though acceptance of susceptibility to a condition that is believed to be serious, such situations do not indicate the particular course of action that is to be taken. The likely course of action will be determined by beliefs regarding the effectiveness of various actions that can be used to reduce the susceptibility and severity of an illness ( Janz and Becker, 1984). Perceived benefit refers to the benefits of taking part in beneficial behavior. Motivation to take action to change behavior requires the belief that the precautionary behavior effectively prevents the condition ( Redding et al 2000). Under perceived benefit, motivation to take action to change behavior requires the belief that the intended action brought in place will effectively prevent the health condition. The individual must perceive that the target behavior will provide strong positive benefits. The target behavior must tend to prevent the negative health outcome. Additionally, studies have shown that the benefits influence people’s initial effort to engage in AIDS preventative behaviors ( Emmons et
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