Promotion of osteoporosis-preventive behaviors in adolescents: Application of protection motivation theory

Osteoporosis is considered a health problem that can be simply prevented by lifestyle modifications in adolescence. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effects of protection motivation theory (PMT)‑based training on osteoporosis‑preventive behaviors in female high school students in Zahedan, Iran.

The present quasi‑experimental study was performed on 240 female high school students who were selected by a multistage sampling technique in Zahedan in 2019–2020. To collect the data, a multipart questionnaire was distributed among the participants in three stages, namely at the baseline, immediately, and 2 months after the intervention. This instrument consisted of demographic information, socioeconomic status, knowledge, PMT constructs, and preventive behaviors. The intervention group was subjected to educational content. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 22) by descriptive and analytical tests (i.e., Chi‑square, independent t‑test, and ANOVA).

Based on the results, the intervention and control groups showed no significant difference in terms of the mean score of knowledge, theoretical constructs, and preventive behaviors at the baseline (P > 0.05). However, the two groups were significantly different in terms of the mentioned variables immediately and 2 months after the intervention (P = 0.001). Mean score of preventive behaviors, the two groups also demonstrated a significant difference (i.e., calcium intake, physical activity, and sunlight exposure) 2 months after the intervention, compared to before the intervention. (P = 0.001).

The findings of the present study were indicative of the PMT effectiveness, which can, therefore, be used as a framework for designing educational programs regarding osteoporosis prevention.