THE EFFECT OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM BASED ON HEALTH BELIEF MODEL ON THE SELF-MANAGEMENT OF HYPERTENSION IN PATIENTS WITH TRANSIENT ISCHEMIC ATTACK

Improving the self-management of hypertension treatment in patients with Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) is effective in reducing the incidence of stroke in these patients. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of education based on the health belief model on improving self-management behaviors of high blood pressure in patients suffering from transient ischemic attack.

In this semi-experimental study conducted as a pre-test-post-test with intervention and control groups, 54 eligible patients were selected by convenient sampling method and randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. Self-management educational interventions based on the health belief model were conducted for the interventional group during three sessions. The control group received routine interventions. Data were collected using self-management and health belief standard questionnaires before and three months after the intervention. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 16 statistical software.

The results of the study in relation to demographic and background characteristics showed that before the intervention, both intervention and control groups were homogeneous in relation to all variables except body mass index. Also, the results showed that after the intervention, the mean scores of self-management and health belief between the intervention and control groups had a significant difference (p<0.001). Also, the findings showed that despite the fact that the average blood pressure reduction in the intervention group was more than the control group, there was no statistically significant difference between these two reductions.

Based on the findings of the research, education based on the health belief model is an effective educational method in improving self-management of blood pressure in TIA patients. Therefore, it is recommended to implement education based on the health belief model to strengthen self-management behaviors in these patients.