Examining the impact of health belief model-based education on reproductive health and family planning attitudes among married women

Abstract

Introduction: Reproductive health encompasses various services like maternal, child, and newborn health, family planning, fertility issues, and reproductive education, with women being the primary beneficiaries of these programs. Aim: This study aims to investigate the impact of health belief model-based education on married women aged 18–49's protective attitudes toward reproductive health (RH). Methods: The research design included a pre-test post-test, a control group, and a semi-experimental approach. A total of 175 women, 35 in the experimental group, 70 in the control group-1, and 70 in the control group-2, who met the research criteria and were determined by a comprehensive power analysis, were included in the study. The pre-test data were collected using the "Personal Information Form", the "Reproductive Health Protective Attitudes Scale (RHPAS)", and the "Family Planning Attitude Scale (FPAS)". Subsequently, a 3-month group education, structured according to the health belief model, was provided to the women in the experimental group. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in the means of the scales used between the groups at baseline. After the training, it was determined that the RHPAS and FPAS subscale and total scores of the experimental group were significantly higher than the control groups (p