The Effect of Education Based on the Health Belief Model on Osteoporosis Prevention Behaviors in Female High School Students

Background: osteoporosis is one of the most common metabolic bone diseases and is the silent epidemic of this era. objectives: this study evaluates the effect of education that is based on the health belief model on promoting osteoporosis prevention behaviors among female high school students. methods: in this two-group interventional study, 172 students age 11 to 14 years (experimental group = 86 subjects; control group = 86 subjects) were randomly selected from khorramshahr high schools using multistage sampling. data were collected before the intervention and two months after its completion using a researcher-made questionnaire with four parts: demographic questions, knowledge questions, questions related to the health belief model constructs, and questions regarding preventive behaviors. data was analyzed using spss 22 software and by applying the mann-whitney test, the analysis of covariance procedure, and the wilcoxon statistical test. results: after the intervention, significant statistical differences were seen between the experimental and control groups in mean scores of knowledge, health belief model constructs, and preventive behaviors. conclusions: the education based on health belief model plays an important role in increasing knowledge and improving osteoporosis prevention behaviors in students.