Preventive Behaviors of Iranian Women Toward Sexually Transmitted Infections: A Perspective of Motivation Protection Theory

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are frequently unreported, representing implied public health concerns, especially for women and in more vulnerable communities. This study aimed to determine the STI preventive behavior of Iranian women and related factors in protection motivation theory (PMT). Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted on a convenience sample from 20 January to 21 March 2021 in Iran. Women who were 18-35 years old with marital status were eligible to participate (N=600). The collected variables included demographic characteristics and STI-related behaviors regarding constructs of PMT: knowledge, perceived vulnerability, perceived self-efficacy, and preventive intention. A Persian version of the Korean four-scale about STI preventive behaviors was used as the assessment tool, and one-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation tests were used for analysis. Results: A significant difference was observed between knowledge, perceived vulnerability, perceived self-efficacy, and preventive intention with sociodemographic variables. STI-perceived vulnerability and STI-knowledge with mean scores of 62.37 and 42.52 were the highest and lowest perceived constructs of preventive behavior, respectively. STI knowledge of Iranian women was low, and STI-preventive self-efficacy was perceived as a positive predictor for STI protective behaviors. Conclusion: A theory-based educational intervention is highly recommended to improve STI-protective behaviors.