What does HBM stand for in health? Unpacking the Health Belief Model

September 21, 2025 •

4 min read

Developed in the 1950s, the Health Belief Model (HBM) remains one of the most widely used theoretical frameworks for understanding and predicting health behaviors. But what does HBM stand for in health? The term most often refers to this psychological model, though context is key, as it can also denote Human Milk Banking.

Quick Summary

HBM primarily stands for the Health Belief Model, a psychological framework that explains and predicts health-related behaviors based on an individual's perceptions of health issues. Less commonly, HBM refers to Human Milk Banking, a service that provides donor human milk to infants in need.

Key Points

The Health Belief Model (HBM): HBM commonly refers to this psychological framework used to explain and predict individual health behaviors based on their perceptions of health risks and benefits.
Core Components: The Health Belief Model is built on six constructs: perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, barriers, cues to action, and self-efficacy.
Application: HBM is used by public health experts to design interventions for a wide range of behaviors, including vaccination, screening, and chronic disease management.
Human Milk Banking (HMB): In a neonatal context, HMB stands for Human Milk Banking, a service that collects, processes, and distributes donated human milk to vulnerable infants.
Donor Milk Benefits: For premature and sick infants, donor human milk provided by a human milk bank offers significant health benefits over formula, such as reduced risk of necrotizing enterocolitis.
Context is Key: Given the two distinct meanings of HBM, the surrounding discussion—whether focused on psychological factors or infant nutrition—determines the correct interpretation.

Understanding the Health Belief Model (HBM)

The Health Belief Model (HBM) is a cornerstone of health education and promotion, designed to predict whether and why individuals will take action to prevent, detect, or control health conditions. It is an 'expectancy-value' model, meaning people's decisions are based on their assessment of the value of behavioral change versus the costs. The framework was developed by social psychologists in the U.S. Public Health Service and has since been adapted to address a wide range of public health issues, from vaccination compliance to managing chronic diseases.

The Core Constructs of HBM

To apply the HBM, public health professionals consider six core constructs that influence a person's health-related decisions:

Perceived Susceptibility: An individual's belief about their risk of acquiring a disease or a health condition. For example, a person with a family history of heart disease may perceive a higher susceptibility to it and therefore be more motivated to change their lifestyle.
Perceived Severity: An individual's belief about the seriousness of a health condition and its potential consequences. This includes both medical aspects (e.g., life-threatening outcomes) and social impacts (e.g., disruption to work or relationships).
Perceived Benefits: The belief in the effectiveness of a particular action in reducing the threat of a health condition. A person might believe that quitting smoking will significantly reduce their risk of lung cancer and improve their breathing.
Perceived Barriers: The obstacles a person perceives that may hinder them from taking a recommended health action. These can be psychological (fear, embarrassment), tangible (cost, inconvenience), or a combination. For example, a person might delay a colonoscopy due to discomfort or cost.
Cues to Action: The internal or external stimuli that trigger the decision-making process. Internal cues include physical symptoms, while external cues can be health campaigns, advice from a healthcare provider, or the illness of a friend.
Self-Efficacy: The conviction that one can successfully execute the behavior required to produce a desired outcome. This was added to the model later to account for a person's confidence in their ability to make a change, such as adhering to a new diet.

Application and Case Studies

The HBM has been successfully applied to understand and promote a variety of health behaviors. Examples include:

Vaccination Campaigns: Professionals use HBM by highlighting perceived susceptibility to a disease like the flu, emphasizing the perceived severity of the illness, outlining the benefits of vaccination, and addressing potential barriers like fear of needles.
Cancer Screenings: A study on cervical cancer screening among Hispanic women found that perceived barriers like fear and embarrassment, as well as fatalistic views, impeded screening. By addressing these HBM constructs, tailored educational programs can improve participation.
Management of Chronic Disease: The model is used to encourage medication adherence, with a focus on patients' belief in their ability to manage their regimen (self-efficacy).

A Different Context: Human Milk Banking (HMB)

While the Health Belief Model is the most common meaning of HBM in public health, the abbreviation is also used for Human Milk Banking (HMB). A human milk bank is a service that recruits screened donor mothers, collects and processes donated human milk, and then distributes it to infants who need it.

HMB is especially critical for premature and medically fragile infants, for whom their mother's own milk may not be available or sufficient. Donor human milk has been shown to reduce the incidence of serious conditions like necrotizing enterocolitis and sepsis in vulnerable newborns. The Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) is a leading organization in this field, emphasizing safety, clinical standards, and equitable access for all infants.

This important health initiative works to support and promote breastfeeding while providing a vital bridge for infants whose mothers cannot provide their own milk.

Human Milk Banking Association of North America

Comparison: HBM (Model) vs. HMB (Banking)


Feature	Health Belief Model (HBM)	Human Milk Banking (HMB)
Field	Public Health and Health Psychology	Neonatal Care and Public Health
Purpose	To explain and predict individual health behaviors and decision-making.	To provide safe, pasteurized donor human milk (DHM) to vulnerable infants.
Focus	An individual's psychological perceptions and beliefs about health and illness.	The collection, screening, processing, and distribution of donor human milk.
Core Components	Perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, barriers, cues to action, and self-efficacy.	Donor screening, milk processing (pasteurization), storage, and equitable distribution.
Context	Applied to a broad range of behaviors, such as disease prevention, screening, and treatment adherence.	Critical for the nutrition of premature, sick, and low-birthweight infants.

Conclusion: Navigating the Acronyms in Health

In the diverse world of health, acronyms often have multiple meanings depending on the context. HBM most prominently refers to the Health Belief Model, a foundational framework for understanding the psychological factors behind why people make certain health choices. By dissecting perceived threats, benefits, and barriers, health professionals can design more effective interventions. However, the exact same three letters can also signify Human Milk Banking, a lifesaving service providing donor milk to fragile infants. When encountering the acronym HBM, the surrounding topic will clarify whether the discussion is about behavioral science or neonatal nutrition, both of which are crucial aspects of public health.

Frequently Asked Questions

In many healthcare contexts, HBM primarily stands for the Health Belief Model, a theoretical framework that helps predict and understand health-related behaviors.

The Health Belief Model was developed in the 1950s by a team of social psychologists at the U.S. Public Health Service, including Godfrey Hochbaum and Irwin Rosenstock.

According to the HBM, people may not seek preventative care if they perceive the barriers (e.g., cost, inconvenience) as outweighing the perceived benefits, or if they have low perceived susceptibility or severity.

Self-efficacy refers to a person's belief in their own ability to successfully perform a health behavior. It's a crucial component added to the HBM to account for an individual's confidence in making a change.

HBM stands for Human Milk Banking in the context of neonatal care and infant nutrition. A human milk bank provides pasteurized donor milk to sick and premature infants.

Human Milk Banking primarily benefits premature, sick, and low-birthweight infants who cannot receive their own mother's milk. Donor milk helps reduce the risk of serious medical conditions.

The context is key. If the conversation is about psychology, behavior change, or public health campaigns, it is likely the Health Belief Model. If it's about infant feeding, donor milk, or neonatal intensive care, it refers to Human Milk Banking.