Effect of Education Based on the Health Belief Model (HBM) on Anemia Preventive Behaviors among Iranian Girl Students

Iron deficiency is the most prevalent nutritional problem and one of the main reasons of anemia especially in girls. This study was designed to determine the effect of combined educational inference based on HBM model about preventing iron deficiency anemia on the enhancement of knowledge, attitude and behavior of high school girls in the Faridan city of Isfahan province. Materials and Methods: This quasi experiential study was conducted on 128 high school girls (divided into 64 cases and 64 controls) that was selected by the cluster random sampling method in 2015. The instrument of data collecting was a researcher-made questionnaire including demographic, knowledge, attitude, and behavior questions based on HBM model. The data were analyzed using SPSS software version16.0 software. Results The mean age of intervention and control groups were 16.3± 0.81 and 16.3± 0.66, respectively. The knowledge, attitude and behavior of control and intervention groups had no significant difference before the education (P>0.001). But three months after the education, the mean score of knowledge, perceived susceptibility, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, perceived severity, perceived self-efficacy, cues to action and performance had significant difference (P<0.001). Conclusion Results of this research indicated that the education based on HBM model is effective on the enhancement of knowledge, attitude and behavior of students in the field of preventing iron deficiency anemia. So this pattern can be used as a framework for designing and performing education interventions to prevent iron deficiency anemia among high school girls.