hooriyeh mirzaeimoghadam

Indiscriminate consumption of energy, environmental pollution, and destruction of natural resources are among the most important issues related to pro-environmental behavior of people in society, and environmental values play an important role in shaping internal motivations of people about environmental issues. This study was conducted to determine the effects of environmental values on pro-environmental behavior and attitude of housewives in Rafsanjan, southeast area of Iran.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 housewives who were selected as random in health-care centers in Rafsanjan city. The data collection was done by a validated questionnaire regarding environmental values, attitude, and behavior. Pearson correlation, independent t-test, and ANOVA statistical tests were used to analyze data in SPSS.V22 software.

The mean score of environmental values was 3.37 ± 26.76 (89.2%), which was significant according to the level of education (p = 0.016). The mean score of attitude and environmental values was 6.88 ± 40.65 (81.3%) and 40.22 ± 5.66 (80.44%), respectively. Also, there was a significant relationship between the score of pro-environmental behaviors and the level of education (p = 0.012). Pearson's correlation showed that there was a positive and significant relationship between environmental values and attitudes (r = 0.239, p = 0.01) and pro-environmental behaviors (r = 0.146, p = 0.01).

Based on the results, educated housewives believe more value for the environment, and have more appropriate pro-environmental behavior; thus, planning to sensitize society members, especially housewives, regarding the values of environmental protection through religious and cultural-based environmental education programs and increasing the level of education are recommended.

Physical activity during retirement is one of the health promotion determinants in this group. This study was conducted to determine the effect of an educational intervention based on the health action process approach (HAPA) on the levels of physical activity among retired female employees.

This quasi-experimental study was conducted among 97 retired women, selected through a simple random sampling technique, and divided into two groups. The primary instruments employed for data collection included the International Standard Physical Activity Behavior Questionnaire (IPAQ) and a researcher-made questionnaire based on the HAPA. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 20, incorporating a range of statistical tests, namely Spearman's correlation, independent and paired t-tests, the Willcoxon signed-rank test, and the Mann-Whitney U test.

After the educational intervention, the average score of different levels of physical activity has increased significantly (p < 0.05). In addition, three months after the intervention, the score of all the constructs of the HAPA model except for the structure of action planning and coping planning, was significantly increased (p < 0.05).

The implementation of an intervention based on the HAPA can improve the level of physical activity in middle-aged women. Therefore, it is suggested that future studies based on this approach be conducted in other target groups to promote physical activity.