Abstract

Background: According to the previous studies, Iranian university students do not have a firm belief in the effectiveness of HPV vaccination.

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of a Health Belief Model (HBM)-based training program on beliefs of Iranian female nursing students towards HPV vaccination.

Materials and Methods: The present quasi-experimental study was conducted on 80 female nursing students in West Azerbaijan province, Iran, in 2019. A total of 80 nursing students were selected as the participants via convenience sampling and were randomly assigned into two groups (40 in each group). The participants in the intervention group attended the HBM training program for 4 weeks and received instructions on HPV related diseases and HPV vaccination, whereas the members of the control group received no education. The HBM questionnaire was administered to the participants in both groups before the intervention, immediately after the intervention, and one month later. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 22 through chi-square test, independent samples t-test, and repeated measures ANOVA at a significance level of 0.05.

Results: Immediately after the intervention and one month later, the intervention group showed a significant increase in perceived severity, perceived benefits, and cues to action compared to the control group (P < 0.05). There was a difference of borderline significance between the intervention and control groups in terms of perceived barriers immediately after the intervention (P=.061).

Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, HBM-training interventions can be used to change students’ beliefs toward HPV vaccine and its acceptance.

Keywords: Human papillomavirus, health belief model, vaccine, cervical cancer, Iran, Iranian.

Graphical Abstract