USING HEALTH BELIEF MODEL IN COVID-19 TEACHING PROTOCOLS FOR PRE-HOSPITAL EMERGENCY TECHNICIANS:IMPACT ON INFECTION PREVENTIVE BEHAVIORS AND ANXIETY

ntroduction: Emergency medical technicians, being the first-line medical team in emergency situations, experience higher levels of anxiety. On one hand, strict regulations regarding the use and management of protective equipment and specialized trainings on COVID-19 patients can reduce anxiety resulting from perceived unfamiliarity and uncontrollable risks. On the other hand, the Health Belief Model is one of the effective models in health education. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the impact of teaching COVID-19 coping protocols based on the Health Belief Model on infection preventive behaviors and anxiety among pre-hospital emergency technicians. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 40 technicians who expressed their willingness to participate were selected through convenience sampling and assigned to experimental (n=20) and control (n=20) groups using random allocation (via random allocation of bases). The data collection tools included a demographic questionnaire, the COVID-19 anxiety scale, and a self-developed questionnaire on infection preventive behaviors based on the Health Belief Model, which were completed before and one month after the intervention. During the intervention, educational content was delivered through e-mail or WhatsApp in four sessions. SPSS version 25 was used for data analysis. Results: According to the Bonferroni test, a significant difference was observed in the mean total score of infection preventive behaviors based on the Health Belief Model and all its dimensions. However, according to the independent t-test, there was no significant difference in anxiety scores between the two groups after the intervention. Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, the educational intervention based on the Health Belief Model did not have an impact on anxiety among pre-hospital emergency technicians in dealing with COVID-19. However, the study identified the efficacy of all dimensions of this model in observing preventive behaviors against COVID-19 in these technicians. In other words, by applying this model, there is an opportunity to improve awareness and understanding of risk factors and the benefits of behavior change. This, in turn, helps in overcoming barriers, enhancing self-efficacy, and improving preventive behaviors. Therefore, it is recommended to utilize this model in designing preventive programs to increase the likelihood of the intervention success.