Effect of student’s empowerment program on brucellosis prevention: an application of extended health belief model

BACKGROUND: To determine the effect of student’s empowerment program using the extended health belief model on the brucellosis prevention in rural high school in Divandarreh, Kurdistan province, Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Quasi-experimental study with repeated measure (pre-test, post-test and at 2-month follow-up). In all 220 rural high school students were selected using a cluster sampling method. The data collection tool was a questionnaire based on the Health Belief Model (HBM). Five 1.5 hours sessions using lecture, group discussion, inquiry method, leaflet delivery, and the use of slides with Overhead projector and PowerPoints slide show, designed according to the Systematic Comprehensive Health Education and Promotion Model (SHEP), was presented for intervention group twice a week in schools. Data were analyzed by SPSS 18, using descriptive statistics as well as Chi-square, independent t-test and repeated measures at a significant level less than 0.05. RESULTS: The total mean age of participants was 14.6 ± 2.3. The intervention and control groups had no significant differences in terms of age, gender, and other demographic variables. There was no significant differences in the intervention and control groups before the intervention in terms of awareness, severity, benefits, barriers and self-efficacy. After educational program scores of awareness, severity, susceptibility, benefits, barriers and self-efficacy, and performance were higher in the intervention group compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: Overall, implementation of the educational intervention based on theories and models had good effects on people that are in the risk of infection and zoonotic disease.