Promoting drug abuse preventive behaviors in adolescent students based on the health belief model.

Fadaei, Mohammad Hosein; Farokhzadian, Jamileh; Miri, Sakineh; Goojani, Reza

Background: Nowadays, drug abuse is one of the most important health problems that can affect the quality of life of people in mental, psychological, physical, and social dimensions. Theory-based education can help the adolescents to promote their drug abuse preventive behaviors.Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of education based on the health belief model (HBM) on drug abuse preventive behaviors in adolescent students.Methods: This study was an interventional quasi-experimental study with a pre-test/post-test design conducted in two high schools in the southeast of Iran. A two-step cluster sampling method was used and 120 students were randomly selected and categorized into the control (n = 60) and intervention (n = 60) groups. The intervention group participated in an education program based on the HBM in four 75-min sessions. Data were collected using demographic and drug abuse preventive behavior questionnaires based on the HBM.Results: In the pre-test stage, the mean scores of drug abuse preventive behaviors and its dimensions were not significantly different between the intervention and control groups (t = -2.597 p = 0.641). In the post-test stage, the mean scores of the intervention and control groups were significantly different; the drug abuse preventive behaviors and its dimensions improved in the intervention group (t = 14.57, p Conclusion: The findings showed that education based on the HBM had a significant effect on drug abuse preventive behaviors and its dimensions. Therefore, educational packages based on the HBM are recommended to improve these behaviors in adolescents.

International Journal of Adolescent Medicine & Health, 2022, Vol 34, Issue 3, p1

0334-0139

Academic Journal

10.1515/ijamh-2019-0170