Download full-text (Open Access)Abstract
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This conceptual paper provides a rationale for combining health behaviour theory
with a social marketing framework in order to develop a community-level asthma
campaign for adults aged 55 years and older. The prevalence of asthma in older
adults in Australia is approximately 10%, higher than in many other countries, and
asthma mortality increases with age. In addition, older adults’ perceptions of
asthma causes and treatments are often inaccurate. Many older adults believe
that asthma is a childhood disease and that the effects of the condition are
relatively minor and would not impact on daily life. In order to address these
misperceptions, it is useful to utilise the constructs of the Health Belief Model in
conjunction with a framework for the development and implementation of a
health promotion effort. The social marketing framework is directly aligned with
the most successful methods of promoting health to older adults; tailoring health
messages (promotion) to individuals and the community that they are living in,
actively involving the older adults themselves to understand their health beliefs
and behaviours, empowering individuals by reducing barriers to action (price),
enabling individuals to take control of their health (product) through increased
knowledge, and ensuring ease of access (place) to health messages and
promotional activities. The segment of the population aged 55 years and over not
only has a demonstrated need for asthma awareness but also has been largely
ignored by past asthma awareness activities. To extend the efforts of previous
health promotion efforts, a campaign must be developed, implemented and
evaluated to specifically target older adults about asthma to address their low
perceived susceptibility to, and severity of, the condition. This paper presents a
conceptual framework for the application of the Health Belief Model and social
marketing theory to influence the asthma perceptions of older adults.