The health belief model (HBM) is a foundational framework in health behavior research. It was conceptualized in the 1950s to help understand preventative health behavior by social psychologists working in the United States Public Health Service (USPHS), specifically "the widespread failure of people to accept disease preventatives or screening tests for the early detection of asymptomatic disease." The model focuses on how individuals perceive health threats and decide to act based on the value individuals place on a particular goal and the likelihood that actions taken toward that goal will be successful in achieving the goal. It consists of 6 primary cognitive constructs, or "dimensions" that influence behavior: perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, and cues to action.