The Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior in Preventing Osteoporosis in Women Referring to Comprehensive Health Service Center in Tehran City, 2019-2020

Introduction: Osteoporosis is one of the most common metabolic bone diseases. Given most health problems are closely related to human behavior, theories and patterns of behavior are used to prevent health problems. All constructs of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) are belief-based, examining different factors. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the application of the TPB in the prevention of osteoporosis in women referring to comprehensive health service centers in Tehran in 2019-2020. Methods: This quasi-experimental interventional study was conducted in 2019on 80 women aged 18-29 years referring to Tehran comprehensive health service centers. The participants were divided into two groups of control (40 people) and intervention (40 people). The data were collected before and one month after the intervention using demographic questionnaires and the TPB constructs. The data were analyzed by SPSS software version 22 using descriptive and analytical statistics. Results: The results showed that there was a significant difference in the mean scores of attitude, abstract norm, behavioral intention, and behavior of the intervention group after the educational intervention compared to the control group (p <0.05). However, the mean score of perceived behavior control was not significantly different before and after the intervention (P = 0.15). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, the educational intervention of this theory can be used as a suitable theoretical framework for designing and implementing interventions for the prevention of osteoporosis.