The health belief model was first developed by Rosenstock in 1966 to model the failure of individuals to engage in illness prevention and detection activities (Rosenstock et al 1988). The model now focuses on beliefs and cues for action, and includes the element of self-efficacy. The four main beliefs are concerned with the perceived severity of an illness, the individual’s perceived susceptibility to it and what the individual believes are the benefits and also the barriers to taking action.