Improving menstrual health knowledge among girls from Iran: the effectiveness of educational health belief model.

Menstrual health education is one of the important aspects of health education during adolescence in girls. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Health Belief Model (HBM) on promoting Knowledge of menstrual health in female students of Fasa City, Fars Province, Iran. This quasi-experimental study was done on 200 high school girls (100 experimental and 100 control groups) who were selected using a random sampling method in Fasa City, Fars Province, Iran, in 2019-2020. The educational intervention for the experimental group consisted of 6 training sessions of 50-55 minutes through lectures, Q & A, group discussion, educational posters and pamphlets, videoclips, and PowerPoint. A scale of this study consisted of two parts; demographic information, and HBM constructs were used to determine the behaviors of menstrual health in two (before and 3 months after intervention) times. The mean age of students in the experimental and control groups was 13.40 ± 0.68 and 13.34 ± 0.72 years. The results showed that before the educational intervention, there was no significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of knowledge, perceived sensitivity, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, cues to action and performance; however, three months after the intervention, the experimental group showed a significant increase in each of the mentioned variables except the perceived barriers. Based on the present study, education based on the health belief model structures is effective in improving Knowledge of menstrual health and this model can be used to prevent and reduce the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.

The Effect of Base Theory Educational Intervention on Health-Promoting Lifestyle in Women Susceptible to Cardiovascular Diseases: Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases are the second leading cause of mortality, disability, and reduced productivity in women over 40 years and the first cause of mortality in women over 60 years. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the effect of educational intervention based on theory of planned behavior (TPB) on health-promoting lifestyle in women susceptible to cardiovascular diseases. Methods: This quasiexperimental study was conducted on 200 women susceptible to cardiovascular diseases referred to health centers in Fasa city, Fars province, Iran. The available sampling was performed on women who referred to the centers and had a family record. In this study, two health-promoting lifestyle questionnaires consisting of 49 questions and the theory of planned behavior questionnaire consisting of 50 questions were used. The obtained data were analyzed by using the SPSS software version 24 in two stages before and six months after the educational intervention through paired t-test, independent t-test, chi-square test, and McNemar test. Results: The mean age of women in the experimental and control groups was 38.74 ± 9.22 and 39.14 ± 9.08 years, respectively. The results showed a significant increase in the experimental group after six months of intervention in terms of health-promoting lifestyle and constructs of the theory of planned behavior. Also, mean blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, and smoking of experimental group decreased six months after the educational intervention. Conclusion: Considering the irreplaceable role of education in adopting healthy behaviors and the role of women in strengthening the family foundation, quality educational programs should be designed and regularly implemented by health care providers for women.

Primary Tooth Decay Prevention Program in Children: Application of Intervention Mapping Approach.

Background: As the most common diseases globally, oral and dental diseases are closely related to people's behavior. The present study is aimed at developing a program to prevent primary teeth decay in children using the intervention mapping approach. Methods: This study protocol is aimed at using the intervention mapping approach as the planning framework. The study consists of six steps of intervention mapping, including needs assessment based on the relevant literature review, development of an objectives matrix for changing people's behaviors and environmental factors, program preparation, program implementation, and program evaluation to develop a family-centered program. Results: The use of the intervention mapping approach helped us identify the outcomes and functional objectives, develop an appropriate intervention program, and evaluate the program. Conclusions: The intervention mapping approach is an appropriate guide to developing a systematic and evidence-based program.

Mothers' role in promoting oral health in children aged 6 months to 1 year.

INTRODUCTION: It is essential for parents, and especially mothers, to become aware of the factors that affect oral health-promoting behaviors in children through behavior change theories. This study aimed to determine mothers' role in improving children's oral health based on the health belief model (HBM). METHODS: The population of this descriptive, analytical, cross-sectional study comprised 240 mothers in Ilam (Iran), selected via stratified random sampling. The data collection instrument was a self-report questionnaire with two sections, including seven demographic and contextual questions, four items for perceived severity, four items for perceived benefits, four items for perceived barriers, three items for cues to action, and five items for perceived self-efficacy. The data were analyzed in SPSS 21 by using descriptive and inferential statistics, including independent samples t-test, linear regression analysis, and Pearson correlation coefficient, at a significance level of 0.05. RESULTS: The participants aged 20-47 with a mean of 31.8 ± 5.67 years. The linear regression analysis indicated that the constructs of perceived severity (B = 0.073, P < 0.001), perceived benefits (B = 0.013, P < 0.001), perceived barriers (B = 0.111, P < 0.01), cues to action (B = 0.517, P < 0.001), and perceived self-efficacy (B = 0.292, P < 0.001) explained 55% of the variance of behavioral intention. CONCLUSION: With respect to the effects of perceived barriers and perceived severity on predicting oral health behaviors, effective outcomes can be achieved by emphasizing these two constructs in educational programs based on the HBM.

Family-Centered Social Cognitive Factors Preventing Primary Tooth Caries in Children Based on Intervention Mapping Approach.

BACKGROUND: Given the increasing prevalence of primary tooth caries in Iran and the importance of providing evidence- and theory-based family-centered prevention programs, the present study is aimed at determining the family-centered social cognitive factors preventing deciduous tooth caries among children using the intervention mapping protocol. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on 240 Iranian mothers in Ilam who were randomly selected to participate in the study. The data were collected using a self-designed questionnaire including items on demographic information and social cognitive constructs (knowledge, attitude, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, practice guidance, perceived self-efficacy, behavior intention, subjective norms, and social norms). The questionnaire was completed by mothers, and the data were analyzed by performing one-way analysis of variance and linear regression. RESULTS: The results obtained from linear regression analysis showed that perceived self-efficacy (B = 0.295, p < 0.001), perceived barriers (B = 0.084, p < 0.028), practice guidance (B = 0.774, p < 0.001), and social norms (B = 0.137, p < 0.020) accounted for 71% of the behavioral intention variance and were the most important predictors for preventing primary tooth caries among children. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that perceived self-efficacy, perceived barriers, practice guidance, and social norms are essential for developing family-centered programs to prevent primary tooth caries in children.