THE EFFECT OF AN EDUCATIONAL PLAN BASED ON THE HEALTH BELIEF MODEL ON SALT CONSUMPTION OF THE WOMEN AT HYPERTENSION RISK

Hypertension is the main risk factor of many diseases, and it is the main reason of death all over the world. Because signs of hypertension aren’t clear, people don’t feel its dangers, and they don’t believe that they are at risk. This problem turns preventing hypertension to a great defiance of health system. One lifestyle factor that is effective in preventing hypertension is decreasing salt consumption. This study tries to investigate the effect of an education plan based on the health belief model on salt intake of women at hypertension risk. A randomized interventional study was conducted on 92 women who are at risk for hypertension in 2 health care centers of Esfahan city in 2013. Subjects were selected through systematic sampling. Urine analysis is used to evaluate the consumption of salt in both experimental and control groups before and 2 month after intervention. Intervention plan was 3 education sections based on health belief model that took place once a week. The data were analyzed by SPSS. Findings showed that there was significant differences between the average of salt intake in the intervention and control groups after intervention (p=0.002). The findings confirmed the effectiveness of education plan based on the health belief model on the reduction of salt intake in women at hypertension risk.