Effect of Health Belief Model based education on health literacy and smoking prevention among students

Given the increasing trend of smoking among students and considering the potential of Health Belief Model (HBM) in predicting Health Literacy (HL) and smoking prevention as well as the role of HL in smoking prevention, this study aimed to determine the effect of HBM based education on HL and smoking prevention among students.

The present work is a quasi-experimental interventional study that was conducted in 2017 among 120 non-smoking students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran (60 in each intervention and control group). Data gathering tool was a valid and reliable questionnaire based on the constructs of perceived susceptibility, perceived benefits, and self-efficacy from the HBM, smoking preventive behaviors and the HL Assessment Questionnaire (HELIA) completed in two stages before and 6 months after the education. The collected data were analyzed using proportional tests and SPSS software version 18. All stages of the study were conducted according to moral standards.

There was no significant difference between demographic and background variables. The mean scores of perceived susceptibility, perceived benefits and self-efficacy, HL and preventive behaviors did not show any significant difference between both groups before the intervention (p>0.05). Following intervention, however, the mean scores of perceived susceptibility, benefits and self-efficacy, HL and preventive behaviors have changed significantly in experimental group as compared to control group (p<0.05).

Education based on constructs of perceived susceptibility, benefits, and self-efficacy could be effective in promoting HL and thus smoking prevention among non-smoker students.