The Effect of Educational Intervention Based on Health Belief Model on Beliefs towards Human Papillomavirus Vaccination in a Sample of Iranian Female Nursing Students

Abstract

According to the previous studies, the overall beliefs of the Iranian university students regarding HPV and HPV vaccination are low. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of educational program based on Health Belief Model (HBM) on beliefs of Iranian female nursing students towards HPV vaccination. The present quasi-experimental study was conducted on 80 female nursing students in West Azarbayjan province, Iran, in 2019. After conducting convenient sampling, 80 participants were randomly assigned into 2 groups (40 in each group). The experimental group received four HBM training program over 4 weeks included HPV related diseases and HPV vaccination, whereas the control group received no education. A questionnaire consisting of HBM constructs was used at pre-intervention, immediately after their intervention, and one month later. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22 through 'chi-square test, independent t-test, repeated measure ANOVA at a significance level of 0.05. Immediately after the intervention and 1 month later, the experimental group showed a significant increase in perceived severity, perceived benefits, and cues to action compared to the control group (P < 0.05). There was a difference of borderline significance between the experimental and control groups in terms of perceived barrier immediately after the intervention (P=.061). According to the results of the present study, educational intervention based on HBM constructs can be used in changing students’ beliefs toward HPV vaccine and its acceptance.