Health Behavior through Cultural Context and Behavior Change Models in Myanmar

Health behaviors are influenced by culture, beliefs, and access to healthcare. Myanmar is a deeply spiritual and traditional location; therefore, health behavior needs to be understood through a cultural lens. This chapter discusses the health behavior influenced by culture and psychological models of health behavior including the Health Belief Model (HBM), and COM-B (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation—Behavior). The chapter is based on real world experience working in healthcare community in Myanmar and illustrates how cultural practices impact decisions to seek health care-including delaying care, complex relationships with hearing the health messages, and the continued importance upon individuals accepted practices that came from ancestors. A HBM is reviewed to demonstrate the beliefs about susceptibility and severity of being unwell or ill including the behavioral comprehend, perceived barriers, and self-efficacy to behave differently to seek care, and the COM-B model used for the areas of opportunities, and how (using the HBM and COM-B as an integrated model for guiding theory) capability and motivation were all used to alter attitudes and behaviors strategically for sustainable change through different community capacity building methods. Examples are provided including intervention examples or in real-life scenarios and local strategies through culturally sensitive language adaptation, and indirectly through community dialogue with traditional healers, storytelling, and culturally relevant education methods. The chapter ends with suggestions to use to promote the importance of integrating culturally competent care and traditional practices while incorporating evidence-based practices with implications intended for future projects.