# How to Influence Privacy Behavior Using Cognitive Theory and Respective Determinant Factors
## 3 Theoretical Background in Experential Learning in Other Fields
### The Concept of Behavior in the Health Field  
The health field played a significant role in the development of cognitive theory, creating a new path of research mostly because of the close relationship between psychology  
Figure 2: Cognitive theory (based on [PERSON], 1990).  
and psychiatry. Many researchers from the health field tried to adjust the cognitive theory in their field of expertise, most usually called the health belief model. The health model deals with the scientific area of psychology that deals with human behavior in the context of health and illness. Scientists use this model to intervene in problems arising from a chronic or life-threatening disease, but without engaging in a strictly therapeutic process [44, 47, 48]. [PERSON] et al. [49] added another dimension to the model called \"health motivation\", which is nothing more than the individual's readiness to care about health issues. The model was formally established with the publication of the research by [PERSON] et al. [49] and was aimed at maintaining health and controlling frailty. The model has been used more than any other social-cognitive model in a range of health behaviors and different target populations [36]. The health belief model is based on two health-oriented axes: Threat Perception and Behavioral Evaluation. The perception of a threat depends on two factors: the subjective sense of vulnerability (perceived susceptibility) and the subjective sense of severity (perceived severity) [49, 50]. The evaluation of the behavior also consists of two sets of beliefs: the subjective feeling about the benefits (perceived benefits) from adopting a behavior targeting better health and the subjective feeling about the obstacles (perceived barriers) from adopting a behavior, i.e., the evaluation of the possible negative consequences associated with the prevention behavior (e.g., side effects). The health belief model (HBM) is a psychological framework that explains and predicts health-related behaviors in individuals. It implies that beliefs about the severity of a health threat, susceptibility to the threat, the benefits of taking preventive action, and the barriers to such action influence people's actions to protect or improve their health. When applied to the context of privacy behavior in ICT users, the health belief model can be viewed as a framework for understanding individuals' motivations and decision-making processes regarding privacy protection. Individuals are more likely to engage in privacy-enhancing behaviors if they perceive the risks to their privacy as severe and themselves as vulnerable to those risks, according to the model. Furthermore, they are more likely to adopt privacy-conscious behaviors if they believe that the benefits of taking privacy-protective actions outweigh the barriers or costs associated with such actions.  
The study by [PERSON] et al. [51] is an example of using the health belief model in the context of privacy behavior. They looked into the factors that influence people's adoption of privacy-enhancing measures on social networking sites. Individuals who perceived higher levels of privacy risks, believed they were vulnerable to privacy breaches, and perceived more benefits than barriers to taking privacy-protective actions were more likely to engage in privacy-enhancing behaviors, according to the study's findings. The above is reflected in Figure 3.  
Figure 3: Health belief model based on cognitive theory adjusted to the health field.