The Effect of an Educational Intervention Based on the Theory of Protection Motivation on the Promotion of Safe Traffic Behaviors in Adolescents

Introduction: Traffic accidents are one of the biggest public health challenges. Considering the role of safe behaviors in reducing traffic accidents, the present study was conducted to determine the effect of educational intervention based on protection motivation theory on promoting safe traffic behaviors in male students. Methods: In this study, male students were randomly divided into two control group (n=70) and an intervention group (n=70). After confirming the validity and reliability, a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of 63 questions based on the theory of protection motivation was distributed among the students. The students in the intervention group received training for 90 minutes for four weeks. The data were collected in the form of self-report immediately and six months after the intervention and analyzed by the statistical tests of correlation, Chi-square, multiple regression, repeated measures ANOVA, and t tests using SPSS version 19. Results: The structures of protection motivation theory predicted 21% of the variance of safe behaviors. Immediately after the educational intervention, except for the fear construct, the mean scores of other theoretical constructs and students’ safe behaviors were significant between the two groups, but the mean scores were not significant six months after the educational intervention except for perceived self-efficacy, perceived response efficacy, protection motivation of other studied theoretical constructs, and safe behaviors (P>0.05). Conclusion: Considering the influence of several components on the formation of safe traffic behavior, it seems that to promote safe behaviors of students, in addition to designing theory-based training programs, creating supportive infrastructures by policymakers and planners is essential for correct traffic behaviors.