Investigating the effect of an education plan based on the health belief model on the physical activity of women who are at risk for hypertension

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is the main risk factor of many diseases and the main reason of death all over the world. Because the signs of hypertension are not clear, people do not feel its dangers and do not believe they are at risk. This problem makes preventing hypertension a great challenge for the health system. One factor that is related to lifestyle and is effective in preventing hypertension is increasing exercise. The aim of this study is investigate the effect of an education plan based on the health belief model on the physical activity of women who are at risk for hypertension. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a field experimental study. Field of study was two health care centers in Isfahan, which were selected through simple random sampling. Ninety-two females who were at risk for hypertension were the subjects of study. Subjects were selected through systematic sampling. Beck questionnaire was used to evaluate the physical activity of both experimental and control group subjects before and 2 months after the intervention. The intervention plan was three education sections that were conducted in 4 weeks. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistical tests and inferential tests of repetitive variance analysis and t-test through SPSS. RESULTS: The results showed that the average of physical activity increased significantly in the intervention group 2 months after education (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the study confirm the efficiency of education plan based on the health belief model on the physical activity of women who are at risk for hypertension.