Application of health belief model to predict COVID‑19‑preventive behaviors among a sample of Iranian adult population
نویسندگان
1 Environmental Health Engineering, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran,
2 Occupational Health Engineering, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran
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4 Environmental Health Engineering, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran,
5 Environmental Health Engineering, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran,
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doi
چکیده
BACKGROUND: The novel coronavirus (COVID‑19) has infected nearly 9.5 million people in 216countries, areas, or territories in the world. The fight against the COVID‑19 has become a very seriousinternational challenge. The aim of this study was to determine the predictors of COVID‑19‑preventivebehaviors using the health belief model (HBM).MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross‑sectional study was conducted with the participation of558 samples from the adult population of Iran. The online convenience sampling was conductedin this research. The online 68‑item questionnaire link was published all over Iran through socialnetworks including Telegram and WhatsApp, which are common in Iran. The data were analyzedusing SPSS software version 19. Descriptive statistics, bivariate Pearson’s correlation test, andmultiple linear regression were used to analyze the data.RESULTS: The mean age of the subjects was 33.3 ± 10.01 years. The participants were oftenfemale (61.3%), married (57.9%), and resident of the city (81.0%) with university educationallevel (78.8%). The results showed that the HBM structures predicted 29.3% of the preventivebehaviors of COVID‑19 in the subjects. The perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and self‑efficacysignificantly predicted the preventive behaviors, but the perceived susceptibility and perceivedseverity were not significant in the regression model. The internet and virtual social networks (49.8%),broadcast (33.5%), and healthcare providers (15.8%) were the most important sources of informationrelated with COVID‑19. In response to COVID‑19‑related internal cues to action, 36.6% did notpay attention and 34.7% tried to self‑medicate. Only 28.5% of the subjects referred to the hospital,healthcare center, or physician.CONCLUSION: Self‑efficacy, perceived barriers, and perceived benefits were the key determinantsof COVID‑19‑preventive behaviors in the subjects. It can be concluded that the HBM is a good toolto predict COVID‑19‑preventive behaviors in Iranian population.
