The Effect of Educational Program Based on Health Belief Model about HIV/AIDS among High School Students

Background: Considering the importance of learning health knowledge and the need to promote appropriate health attitudes, beliefs and behaviors regarding Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) among school-age people, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of an educational program based on Health Belief Model (HBM) about HIV/AIDS. Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental study was performed on 100 male high school students in Fasa, Iran. A sample size of 100 was determined based on the examination of similar literature with 95% confidence interval and 80% test capability. The subjects were divided into two groups of 50 subjects. After administering a pre-test to both groups, only the experimental group was trained based on the HBM constructs on the HIV/AIDS preventive behaviors. Then intervention was followed by group discussion (10-person groups) in 8 sessions each 55-60 minutes. In order to collect information based on Health Belief Model, a questionnaire consisting of 41 questions in three sections was used. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22.0 software. Results: Educational intervention based on Health Belief Model resulted in meaningful enhancement of the subjects’ knowledge, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, and perceived self-efficacy (P <0.05). Furthermore, the students’ perceived barriers about beliefs related to HIV/AIDS preventive behaviors decreased significantly (P <0.05). Conclusion: According to the results, educational intervention has increased the HIV/AIDS prevention behavior based on Health Belief Model. Therefore, the results of this study can be used in the theory-based intervention strategies to create and modify health behaviors.