The Effect of an Educational Program Based on the Health Belief Model to Prevent Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease among Iranian Women

Non-alcoholic fatty liver is a prevalent liver disorder that can lead to severe consequences and complications, including death. This study aimed to investigate the effect of an educational intervention based on a health belief model to prevent non-alcoholic fatty liver among women.

This study was conducted among 110 women who sought health services in Malayer City, located in western Iran, in 2021. The participants were divided into two groups: experimental and control. The data collection tool was a questionnaire based on the health belief model and demographic characteristics. The experimental group received three one-hour training sessions through pamphlets, lectures, and group discussions. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software version 21, which included correlation tests, paired t-tests, and independent t-tests.

A total of 110 women participated in this study, with the average age of 38.07±6.28 years. The majority of participants were middle-aged, married, housewives with academic education, middle-income, and overweight. Following an educational intervention, the experimental group showed significant improvement in perceived sensitivity, severity, benefits, guidance for internal and external action, and self-efficacy compared to the control group (p=0.01 for all constructs). Additionally, the perceived barriers score decreased after training. The experimental group also demonstrated a decrease in perceived obstacles score after training (15.2±3.9 vs. 11.2±3.3, p<0.01).

The study revealed that developing educational programs based on the constructs of the health belief model could prevent women from developing higher levels of non-alcoholic fatty liver.