Intercourse Intention Based on Planned Behavior Theory in Married Women Visiting Healthcare Centers of Mashhad City

More than half of sexual problems that destruct life and marital relations occur due to insufficient knowledge or mistaken beliefs about sexual relations. Planned behavior model as an important theory explains the main process of health behaviors’ acceptance. This study surveys planned behavior model in predicting sexual practices of married women referring to Mashhad1 health centers in 2011. This cross-sectional study surveyed 200 women visiting health centers of Mashhad1 in 2011. Validity and reliability of questionnaire used were determined through panel of experts and Cronbach’s alpha and test-retest, respectively. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 11.5) using Pierson correlation coefficient and regression analysis. Based on the results obtained significant correlations were observed between all variables of the planned behavior model and sexual intention and function (p<0.05). Regression analysis revealed that attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control predict 0.45 of the variance of sexual intention. Among these variables, the effect of subjective norms was greater than other variables (p<0.05). According to the findings, it is essential that health practitioners to emphasize on proper sex education and use planned behavior theory as a model for promotion of female sexual function.