Predicting the Preventive Behaviors of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in families with Children Under 10 Years, Applied the Precede Model

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is one of the endemic diseases in Iran and every year a large number of children under10years of age are infected with it. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the preventive behavior of leishmaniasis based on the PRECEDE model in families with children under 10 years.

The present study is a cross sectional study that was performed on240Families with children under 10 years old in the Sankhast ward of North Khorasan province. The data collection tool was a researcher questionnaire that included demographic questions and structures of the questionnaire model (knowledge, attitude, reinforcing factor, and enabling factor). Sampling was performed in several steps. Data was entered into SPSS16 software using Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, one-way analysis of variance, independent t-test, correlation coefficient, multiple linear regressions.

The highest mean a score was obtained by the reinforcing factor (24.3 ± 22.80) and the lowest mean a score was obtained in the performance section (48.46 ± 15.66). The results of the regression model showed that knowledge (0.28), attitude (0.16), and enabling factors (0.14) had the highest predictive power of mothers in controlling and preventing disease, respectively. Overall, the structures of the PRECEDE model predicted21%of the variance of the preventive behavior of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

The PRECEDE model is a good theoretical framework for the prevention of leishmaniasis. Designing and implementing an educational program based on the PRECEDE model in the population at risk will be an effective step in controlling leishmaniasis. Because the prevalence of leishmaniasis is higher in rural areas, it is more important to consider the conditions of the rural people in order to implement the educational program