Effect of Counseling on Self-Efficacy in Iranian Middle-Aged Women: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Background Attention to women’s health is considered a health priority in every country. One of the factors that promote women’s general health is self-efficacy. Objectives The present study was conducted to determine the effect of counseling on the self-efficacy of middle-aged women. Methods The present randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 102 middle-aged women (51 women in each group) and was covered by health centers in Tabriz in 2015 - 16. Participants were randomly assigned into two groups (one group received counseling and another did not) using the block randomization stratified based on age (40 to 50 and 50 to 60) in block sizes of 4 and 6. The intervention group received counseling on health promotion over three 45-minute sessions. Sherer et al’s general self-efficacy scale was completed in both groups before the intervention, and four and eight weeks after the intervention. Data were analyzed using independent t-test and repeated measures ANOVA. Results Before the intervention, no significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of self-efficacy. Four and eight weeks after intervention, mean (SD) of self-efficacy scores were 69.0 (11.4) and 71.7 (11.1) respectively in the counseling group and 65.7 (13.2) and 64.9 (11.3) respectively in the control group. After the intervention, and with adjusting the baseline values, repeated measures ANOVA test showed a significantly higher mean self-efficacy score in the counseling group compared to the control group (Adjusted mean difference = 5.3; 95% confidence interval = 2.1 to 8.5; P < 0.001). Conclusions Counseling in middle-aged women can lead to improved self-efficacy, resulting in improved health in this age group.