The effectiveness of educational program based on health belief model on promotion of puberty health concepts among teen girls: a cross-sectional study in north of Iran

Abstract

Background Puberty is a sensitive critical stage of human life. As numerous healthy habits and behaviors are created during adolescence, correct health education during puberty is essential to maintain and improve an individual's physical, emotional, and mental health. The present study aimed to determine the impact of educational intervention based on the predictors of the Health Belief Model (HBM) on female nine-grade students’ health behaviors in Rasht, Iran. Methods The present randomized controlled trial study examined 110 female nine-grade students. Multi-stage sampling was performed, and the students were randomly divided into two groups of 55 as intervention and control. The data collection tool included a valid and reliable questionnaire with four sections, namely demographic variables, knowledge, HBM constructs, and health behaviors during puberty. The educational program comprised four 45–60-min sessions per group (4 groups of 13) based on HBM. The data were collected two times, before and 1 month after the educational intervention, and were analyzed using the independent t-test, paired t-test, chi-square test, and SPSS 23. Results The mean age of menarche was 12.26 ± 1.133 in the intervention group and 12.12 ± 1.263 in the control group. The family was a source of information for students and the main cue to action before the intervention. Before the educational intervention, there was no significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of knowledge, HBM constructs, and puberty health behaviors; however, the variables increased significantly in the intervention group after educational intervention (P<0.001). Conclusions Given the effectiveness of the HBM in improving the health behavior of adolescent girls, it is recommended that health policymakers should plan and implement educational interventions in this field.

Adolescents and reproductive health: Promoting healthy habits for reproductive well-being

“…Successful reproductive health education programs increase reproductive health knowledge and encourage positive behaviors (Eghbal et al, 2023;Pasay-an et al, 2020) Students with adequate knowledge of reproductive health require special attention as they near the conclusion of their social preparation for adulthood, according to a notable finding of this study. The increase in reproductive health knowledge is influenced not only by education but also by parental involvement in preparing children for maturity, according to previous research (Eghbal et al, 2023). Age is also regarded as a predictor of a person's level of maturity and comprehension of their sexual orientation.…”

“…Previous research has demonstrated that adolescents have a limited understanding of reproductive health, particularly with regard to menarche, menstruation, and menstrual hygiene (Eghbal et al, 2023). In the absence of accurate knowledge, negative attitudes and misconceptions about these topics can have negative effects on reproductive health.…”

Adolescents and reproductive health: Promoting healthy habits for reproductive well-being

“…Previous studies have shown the limitations of adolescents in obtaining information about reproductive health knowledge, especially for menarche, menstruation, and personal hygiene [9]. Limited access to adequate information about reproductive knowledge often results in perceptions of negative attitudes and misunderstandings about menarche, menstruation, and menstruation-related hygiene, and this may have a negative impact on reproductive health.…”

“…Adolescents' knowledge of healthy behavior can influence the way they behave and make decisions in their reproductive health life. Reproductive health education programs have been able to increase knowledge and behavior about reproductive health [9], [16].…”

“…Another result of this study is that students who have sufficient knowledge indicate that they need special attention in realizing their reproductive knowledge before completing their social preparation towards adulthood. The results of a previous study stated that the increase in reproductive health knowledge was not only influenced by education but also the role of parents in preparing children for adulthood [9]. In addition, age is also considered as an indication of the level of maturity and attitude towards sexuality.…”