"Can I get the disease?” or "Could that problem happen to me?”

One of the important determinants is whether or not a person believes that the problem could happen to him or her. Another name for this barrier is "perceived susceptibility." If people think that they cannot get a particular disease or have a particular problem, they often will NOT take action to prevent it.

Examples

• In the story, the old fisherman thought that he could NOT get cancer because his family was very strong and healthy. For that reason, he did not quit smoking.

• If a mother thinks that her child could not become dehydrated when the child has diarrhea, then she may not use ORS.

• If a man thinks that AIDS is a disease of homosexuals only—and he is not gay—then he will probably not do anything (like remaining faithful in marriage or using condoms) to prevent AIDS.