THE IMPACT OF EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION BASED ON HEALTH BELIEF MODEL ON PROMOTING HEALTH BELIEFS AMONG MALE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN OSHNAVIEH TOWARD AIDS

AIDS is a pandemic and a health challenge in the world, and all the people of society are at risk of this health problem. Among the population, teenagers and young adults, especially students, are more vulnerable than any other in the community. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) approach, the only effective way to prevent and control this disease is through health education, and high-risk and vulnerable groups should be given priority to educational programs. The present study aimed to determine the effect of educational intervention based on the health belief model (HBM) on promoting health beliefs among male high school students in Oshnavieh city toward AIDS.

This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 60 male high school students. The subjects were divided equally into intervention and control groups (n = 30). The educational intervention was performed using lectures and group discussion and show of training film. The data collection tool was a valid and reliable 3-part questionnaire consisting of demographic characteristics, and knowledge about HIV/AIDS, and HBM constructs. The study data were analyzed using independent t-test, chi-square, and repeated measures in SPSS software version 16.

The study revealed that there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of knowledge, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and self-efficacy (p > 0.05). After educational intervention significant differences were observed in the aforementioned variables (p < 0.05).

The present study revealed the effect and effectiveness of the health belief model on promoting health beliefs regarding prevention of AIDS, and the results of this study can benefit health educators/promoters in designing educational programs regarding diseases and health problems.