The Determinants of Preventive Health Behavior: Literature Review and Research Perspectives

People normally know they should follow a few preventive health behaviors in order to have a better and long life: to not smoke, to have a balanced diet low in fat and rich in vegetables and fruits, to exercise regularly, to avoid heavy drinking, to take medical screens for dangerous diseases, to have immunizations and to use seatbelts while driving. But even knowing that these measures can prevent serious future problems, some people do not adopt them. From a managerial and academic standpoint, it is important to understand the factors behind why people develop preventive health behaviors such as those cited above. On one hand, this is a primary question for public health when major diseases could be avoided by such simple actions. In addition, scant attention has been paid to this subject in the marketing literature in France.