The HBM has contributed mostly to the production of health education material, which is only one component of a health promotion strategy. This article demonstrates that lack of knowledge, skills and resources are all implicated in householders not fully engaging with the dengue control messages currently delivered to them. Whilst the HBM is a useful tool for understanding the psychological dynamics of behaviour, it remains limited in addressing the broader social, cultural, economic and community dynamics involved in initiating and maintaining behaviour change.