The Effect Of The Educational Intervention Based On The Health Belief Model On The Promotion Of Health Beliefs Of Students Towards Air Pollution.

Background: Students are a sensitive group in response to the dangers of air pollution. This study was conducted in order to determine the effect of education using the health belief model on the improvement of students' behaviors to prevent exposure to polluted air. Methods: This study was a before-and-after controlled intervention. The participants included 184 people in the intervention group (82 boys and 102 girls) and 169 people in the control group (82 boys and 87 girls). The researcher-made questionnaire was distributed among the students based on the model. Then, four education sessions were held along with the distribution of pamphlets for the intervention group. Three months later, the questionnaire was completed again by the students. The data was analyzed using SPSS software. The intervention tests used included: paired t, independent t, chi square and Pearson correlation. Results: Comparing the scores before and after, it was seen that the level of knowledge and attitude had increased significantly. In terms of the constructs of the health belief model, there was a significant difference between the intervention group and the control group after the education. There is a significant difference (p<0.05), which shows the effect of education, while before the education, the two groups did not have a significant difference in terms of scores. Conclusion: The results of the study showed that the implementation of an educational program based on the health belief model with an emphasis on behavior predictors can be effective in reducing exposure to air pollution in students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]