Factors related to the belief and performance of mothers in preventing injuries among children under 5 years of age: application of the health belief model

Injuries among children are one of the problems of childhood worldwide. The present study aimed to assess the factors related to the belief and performance of mothers in preventing injuries among children under five years of age using the health belief model (HBM).

This was a descriptive study that conducted on 201 mothers with children under 5 years of age who were randomly selected from health centers in Arak, Iran in 2022-2023. Data was collected through a four-part questionnaire consisting of demographic information, items on knowledge, questions related to constructs of the HBM, and a questionnaire on previous injury records. Data were analyzed by using t-test, ANOVA, chi-square, Pearson correlation and linear regression.

The mean age of the mothers was 33.84±7.24 years and it was 48.23±16.48 months for children. The mean knowledge score of mothers was 40.06±14.74 (out of 100 marks). Also, the mean score for perceived benefits (80.08±12.24) and perceived barrier (64.41±17.13) had the highest and lowest scores respectively (out of 100 scores). There was a significant relationship between education and perceived sensitivity score (p=0.002) and perceived severity (p=0.012). Child's age, susceptibility, and perceived benefits predicted a total of 38% (R2=0.38) of mothers' preventive behavior.

The health behavior of mothers in preventing childhood injuries was significantly influenced by the mother's understanding of the child's vulnerability and the benefits of taking timely and effective action to reduce possible risks.