Pajouhan Scientific Journal, Winter, In Press
Back to the articles list |
Back to browse issues page
Zahra Khoshkharam1 
, Bahareh Behrouzi1 , Elaheh Laelmonfared1 , Alireza Jafari2 , Mehrsadat Mahdizadeh *3
, Bahareh Behrouzi1 , Elaheh Laelmonfared1 , Alireza Jafari2 , Mehrsadat Mahdizadeh *3
1- Mashhad University of Medical Sciences
2- Gonabad University of Medical Sciences
3- Mashhad University of Medical Sciences ,Mahdizadehtm@mums.ac.ir
2- Gonabad University of Medical Sciences
3- Mashhad University of Medical Sciences ,
Abstract: (40 Views)
Introduction: Animal bites are a major health problem and threat to people because the subsequent infection can cause fatal diseases such as rabies. Given that the most important issue in animal bites is preventive behaviors, the protection motivation model is a comprehensive model for predicting such health behaviors. Therefore, using the protection motivation model, which is based on protective and preventive behaviors, preventive behaviors against animal bites were evaluated in elementary school students.
Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted with a multi-stage sampling method on 400 elementary school students (7 to 12 years old) in Mashhad. The data collection tool included two sections of demographic information and questions related to the constructs of the protection motivation theory, which were previously designed by researchers in a pilot study and their validity and reliability were finalized and confirmed in this study. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 26 software using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, percentage, frequency, etc.) and analytical statistics including Kolomogrov-Smirnov (to check the normality of the data), Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression in the simultaneous method. The results were also considered significant at the 0.05 statistical level.
Results: 47.3 percent (189) of the participants were female. 79 percent (316) of the students had no history of animal bites. Most of the students (70.5 percent) kept animals. The mean and standard deviation of the age of the participants was 605.9±10 years. The results of the Pearson correlation coefficient test show that there is a direct and significant correlation between the constructs of perceived sensitivity, perceived intensity, response efficacy, self-efficacy, and fear with the motivation to protect or the intention to prevent animal bite behaviors, so that with the increase in the scores of perceived sensitivity, perceived intensity, response efficacy, self-efficacy, and fear among students, the motivation to protect animal bite behaviors score increases. There is also an inverse and significant correlation between the constructs of perceived response cost and perceived reward with the motivation to protect animal bite behaviors. The results of the linear regression for the predictors of the intention to protect animal bite behaviors show that the constructs of self-efficacy, perceived sensitivity, and reward were significant predictors of the intention to prevent animal bite and were able to predict 43.5% of the variance changes. Self-efficacy (β=0.478, P<0.001) was the strongest predictor of the intention to protect animal bite.
Conclusion: The constructs of protective motivation theory can be effective in promoting students' intention to adopt animal bite prevention behaviors. It is suggested that the constructs of this behavior change theory be used in designing and implementing interventions to empower students to adopt animal bite prevention behaviors.
Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted with a multi-stage sampling method on 400 elementary school students (7 to 12 years old) in Mashhad. The data collection tool included two sections of demographic information and questions related to the constructs of the protection motivation theory, which were previously designed by researchers in a pilot study and their validity and reliability were finalized and confirmed in this study. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 26 software using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, percentage, frequency, etc.) and analytical statistics including Kolomogrov-Smirnov (to check the normality of the data), Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression in the simultaneous method. The results were also considered significant at the 0.05 statistical level.
Results: 47.3 percent (189) of the participants were female. 79 percent (316) of the students had no history of animal bites. Most of the students (70.5 percent) kept animals. The mean and standard deviation of the age of the participants was 605.9±10 years. The results of the Pearson correlation coefficient test show that there is a direct and significant correlation between the constructs of perceived sensitivity, perceived intensity, response efficacy, self-efficacy, and fear with the motivation to protect or the intention to prevent animal bite behaviors, so that with the increase in the scores of perceived sensitivity, perceived intensity, response efficacy, self-efficacy, and fear among students, the motivation to protect animal bite behaviors score increases. There is also an inverse and significant correlation between the constructs of perceived response cost and perceived reward with the motivation to protect animal bite behaviors. The results of the linear regression for the predictors of the intention to protect animal bite behaviors show that the constructs of self-efficacy, perceived sensitivity, and reward were significant predictors of the intention to prevent animal bite and were able to predict 43.5% of the variance changes. Self-efficacy (β=0.478, P<0.001) was the strongest predictor of the intention to protect animal bite.
Conclusion: The constructs of protective motivation theory can be effective in promoting students' intention to adopt animal bite prevention behaviors. It is suggested that the constructs of this behavior change theory be used in designing and implementing interventions to empower students to adopt animal bite prevention behaviors.
Type of Study: Research Article |
Subject:
Health Sciences
Received: 2025/10/21 | Accepted: 2026/03/4
Received: 2025/10/21 | Accepted: 2026/03/4
Send email to the article author
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
Articles Copyright © The Author(s).
Owned by Hamadan University of Medical Sciences.
Published by UMSHA Press
Journal Tel: +98 81 38380090
Publisher Tel: +98 81 38382022
Website: https://psj.umsha.ac.ir/
Email: psj@umsha.ac.ir
