Factors affecting preventive behaviors of brucellosis in villagers using social cognitive theory

Brucellosis is a multi-organ disease involving several organs. This disease progresses to a chronic and debilitating condition if not diagnosed and treated in time. Accordingly, this study aimed to examine the factors affecting preventive behaviors of brucellosis in villagers using social cognitive theory.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 residents of rural areas under the coverage of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in 2020. The participants were selected using two-stage random sampling. The data in this study were collected through a researcher-made questionnaire that measured demographic information and the constructs of the cognitive-social model. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 16).

The participants' mean age was 35.19±9.70 years. Furthermore, 82% of participants were women, and 93% had high school diplomas or lower education. In addition, 87% of the participants were married, and 78% were housewives. Except for the construct of understanding the situation, a positive and significant correlation was observed between other constructs and preventive behavior for brucellosis. The results of the regression model showed that predictors of preventive behaviors for brucellosis were knowledge, outcome expectations, outcome value, self-efficacy, self-efficacy in overcoming obstacles, self-regulation, and emotional adjustment (P <0.05).

Higher levels of knowledge, outcome expectations, outcome expectancies, self-efficacy, self-efficacy in overcoming obstacles, self-regulation, and emotional adjustment are associated with higher levels of preventive behavior for brucellosis. Therefore, preventive education programs can be implemented based on social cognitive theory to prevent brucellosis.