In health education, the Health Belief Model core concept posits that students are motivated to adopt healthful habits when they believe that their efforts

• A. can be practiced in group and social settings and refined through observation.
• B. are directed at overcoming a personal threat of disease and will result in positive outcomes that outweigh risks.
• C. will be viewed and valued by family and peers as intellectual, educational, and occupational accomplishments.
• D. are best practices that can be applied within and across multiple contexts of family, school, community, and culture.

Answer: (B)

The main idea being tested is that people are motivated to adopt healthful behaviors when they perceive a personal threat and believe that taking action will yield benefits that outweigh the costs. In the Health Belief Model, action is driven by recognizing a health risk and by believing that the proposed behavior will reduce that risk while providing positive outcomes that exceed the effort or barriers involved. The statement captures this by saying efforts aim to overcome a personal threat of disease and will lead to positive outcomes that outweigh risks. The other options describe social learning, social approval, or applying practices across different contexts—factors not central to the Health Belief Model’s motivation framework.