The Organizing Role of Motivation in Health Beliefs and Intentions

Questionnaire data from 774 children aged 8 through 17 years demonstrated that health motivation has an organizing effect upon health beliefs and intentions. Children's beliefs about vulnerability to health problems and the benefits of taking some health action together with their reports of traumatic dental encounters were a significantly better set of predictors of intention to make a dental visit among children for whom health was relatively important, than they were among children for whom health was of less importance. The study has implications for reformulating the health-belief model, and increasing the effectiveness of health education programs.