Factors related to preventive COVID-19 behaviors using health belief model among general population: a cross-sectional study in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has become one of the biggest challenges to global health and economy. The present study aimed to explore the factors related to preventive health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic in Khuzestan Province, South of Iran, using the Health Belief Model (HBM). METHODS: The present cross-sectional study was conducted in the period between July 2020 and September 2020. A total of 1090 people from Khuzestan province participated in the study. The data collection method included a multistage cluster sampling method with a random selection of provincial of health centers. The questionnaire collected socio-demographic information and HBM constructs (e.g., perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits and barriers, cues to action, and COVID-19 preventive behaviors). Data were analyzed using ANOVA, t-test, hierarchical multiple linear regression, and SPSS version 22. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 35.53 ± 11.53, more than half of them were female (61.6%) and married (65.3). The results showed that 27% of the variance in the COVID-19 preventive behaviors was explained by HBM constructs. The regression analysis indicated that female gender (ß = 0.11), perceived benefits (ß = 0.10), perceived barriers (ß = - 0.18), external cues to action (ß = 0.25), and internal cues to action (ß = 0.12) were significantly associated with COVID-19 preventive behaviors (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Designing an educational intervention on the basis of HBM might be considered as a framework for the correction of beliefs and adherence to COVID-19 behavior. Health information campaigns need to (1) emphasize the benefits of preventive behaviors including avoiding the likelihood of getting a chronic disease and complications of the disease, (2) highlight the tips and advice to overcome the barriers (3) provide cues to action by means of showing various reminders in social media (4) focusing on adoption of COVID-19-related preventive behaviors, especially among men.

Impact of theory-based educational intervention on explaining preventive pediculosis infestation behavior among primary school students.

BACKGROUND: Despite the fact that improved health, social, and economic situations have significantly affected the reduction of its infestation, pediculosis is still spreading worldwide. AIM: This study is conducted to evaluate the explanatory power of health belief model constructs in adoption of preventive pediculosis infestation behavior in female primary school students. METHODS: This study involves two stages. First, a cross-sectional study was conducted. In the second stage, a quasi-experimental intervention was performed. One hundred eighty female elementary school students in Omidiyeh County were randomly selected in two 90-subject groups (experimental and control). Samples were matched in two groups in terms of demographic variables. A group of educational intervention was based on the most effective construct of the first stage; and the educational intervention of control group was based on the low-effective construct. The path analysis and LISREL 8.5 software was utilized to compare the fit and the variance cover percentage of adopting preventive pediculosis infestation behaviors. RESULTS: According to the pre-intervention findings, there was no significant difference between experimental and control groups in terms of factors affecting the adoption of preventive pediculosis infestation behavior. This model had a weaker fit in the experimental than the control group, but these indices had better status after intervention in the experimental than the control group. Meanwhile, the cover percentage of explained variance for the experimental group after educational intervention was higher than pre-intervention, but it was lower in the control group. Finally, health belief model constructs (including the knowledge, cue to action, perceived susceptibility and severity, perceived benefits and barriers, and self-efficacy) in the experimental group, had better fit after the educational intervention compared with pre-intervention. CONCLUSION: Efficiency of the health belief model was approved for adopting preventive pediculosis infestation behavior in female primary school students. The future intervention studies should utilize the structural equation modeling approach separately in experimental and control groups to compare the changes in behavior between different demographic groups in the field of pediculosis infestation behavior.