Investigating the Effectiveness of Health Belief Model Education on Health Literacy, Self-Efficacy, and Smoking Tendencies Among College Students
| Author | Javad Kazemi | en |
| Author | Fatemeh Rahmati | en |
| Author | Abed Majidi | en |
| Author | Kosar Jafari | en |
| Orcid | Javad Kazemi [0000-0002-3195-0995] | en |
| Orcid | Fatemeh Rahmati [0000-0002-8321-800X] | en |
| Orcid | Abed Majidi [0000-0003-2886-9448] | en |
| Orcid | Kosar Jafari [0000-0003-1823-8837] | en |
| Issued Date | 2026-05-31 | en |
| Abstract | Background: Students may smoke cigarettes to alleviate stress and psychological pressure. Low self-efficacy and limited health literacy may increase their propensity for smoking. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of health belief model-based education in improving health literacy, self-efficacy, and attitudes toward smoking. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2025 among students at the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences. Using simple random sampling, 60 students were selected and randomly assigned to the control and intervention groups. A pre-test was administered, and participants completed questionnaires on health literacy, self-efficacy, and attitudes toward smoking. The health belief model intervention protocol was then delivered to the intervention group in eight 1.5-hour sessions, followed by a post-test. For ethical reasons, informed consent was obtained. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21. The chi-square test was used for demographic variables; means and standard deviations were used for descriptive analysis of the study variables before and after the intervention; and one-way MANCOVA was used for inferential analysis. Results: In the pre-test, the mean ± SD values for attitudes toward smoking were 47.72 ± 6.76 and 46.03 ± 6.93, those for health literacy were 52.15 ± 9.41 and 50.73 ± 7.12, and those for self-efficacy were 31.38 ± 3.79 and 29.73 ± 2.15 in the control and intervention groups, respectively. In the post-test, the mean ± SD values for attitudes toward smoking were 45.91 ± 7.20 and 22.53 ± 5.84, those for health literacy were 51.92 ± 8.08 and 63.16 ± 8.31, and those for self-efficacy were 29.15 ± 4.86 and 55.53 ± 3.92 in the control and intervention groups, respectively. Education based on the health belief model reduced the mean positive attitude toward smoking (P = 0.016), increased the mean self-efficacy score (P = 0.018), and increased the mean health literacy score (P = 0.029) in the intervention group compared with the control group. Conclusions: Education based on the health belief model may lead to changes in attitudes toward smoking, health literacy, and self-efficacy. Therefore, it may be recommended as an educational program for selected students. | en |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.5812/semj-166971 | en |
| URI | https://brieflands.com/journals/semj/articles/166971 | en |
| Keyword | Attitudes | en |
| Keyword | Education | en |
| Keyword | Health Belief Model | en |
| Keyword | Health Literacy | en |
| Keyword | Self-Efficacy | en |
| Keyword | Smoking | en |
| Keyword | Students | en |
| Publisher | Brieflands | en |
| Title | Investigating the Effectiveness of Health Belief Model Education on Health Literacy, Self-Efficacy, and Smoking Tendencies Among College Students | en |
| Type | Research Article | en |
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