The Effect of Educational Intervention Based on Perceived Barriers and Benefits on Employees’ Physical Activity Levels: A Quasi-experimental Study

Physical activity is a key component of a healthy lifestyle and is recommended to improve public health and indirectly reduce the disease burden and healthcare costs. Therefore, interventions are required to encourage adoption and maintenance. Behavior changes models, such as the Health Belief Model (HBM), are recommended for this purpose. This study aimed to examine the effects of an educational intervention based on perceived barriers and benefits on employees' physical activity levels. This quasi-experimental study was conducted on ۱۳۰ employees of the educational complex of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences. Participants were randomly assigned using block randomization to the intervention (n=۶۵) and control (n=۶۵) groups. The intervention group attended three educational sessions that focused on perceived barriers and benefits. Both groups were assessed before and two months after the intervention. The control group received no intervention and continued their routine activities during the study period. The participants included ۵۶ men and ۷۴ women, with a mean age of ۳۹.۹۳ ± ۸.۷۴ years. The intervention significantly increased the mean scores of the model’s constructs in the intervention group (p<۰.۰۰۰۱), while no significant changes were observed in the control group. Self-efficacy was the strongest predictor of physical activity. In Conclusion the Health Belief Model-based educational intervention effectively enhanced employees' physical activity. Strengthening self-efficacy was found to be a key determinant of physical activity, suggesting that HBM-based programs can serve as an effective strategy to promote healthy behaviors among university staff.

کلیدواژه ها:

Perceived benefits ، Health Belief Model ، Perceived barriers ، physical activity