Education of Iranian pregnant women about prevention of influenza A

Objectives: Type A influenza is an upper respiratory tract disease. This study evaluated the efficiency of education based on the Health Belief Model (HBM) in promoting the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of pregnant women about preventing influenza type A in Sirjan, Kerman. Materials and Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study. The population under study were 200 pregnant women who visited the health centers of Sirjan. These people were randomly divided into intervention (n = 100) and control (n = 100) groups. The educational intervention was conducted over two 60-minute sessions. Information was collected through a questionnaire (71 questions) before the intervention and three months after it. Chi-square test, Fisher exact test, independent t test, paired t test and Pearson correlation coefficient were calculated. Results: After the intervention, the knowledge score increased in both groups; this was probably due to the routine training programs at those centers, but significant increases in attitude and practice were only observed in the intervention group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, cues to action and efficacy increased significantly and perceived barriers decreased significantly in the intervention group. Conclusions: HBM was effective in promoting the KAP of pregnant women in Sirjan for preventing type A influenza. Therefore, HBM can be used to help prevent influenza A in the pregnant women.