A randomized controlled trial was conducted by applying the health belief model and multi-dimensional locus of control theory (HBM-MLOC) of change to (1) examine the effect of the theory-led intervention in enhancing decision on influenza vaccine, (2) identify the association between students’ age, family's socioeconomic status (SES), frequency of contracting influenza, subjective norms, and their decision on influenza vaccine. The study included a simple random sample of (152) male students (76), students for the study group and (76) students for the control group aged 15 to 20 years who were selected from the highschool of “ Al-Sadeqeen “ in The-Qar in the Iraq. Data were collected through a self-report instrument that included the demographic data, the survey based on the health belief model (hbm) questionnaire, and the multidimensional locus of control questionnaire. The study results revealed that the mean age for participants in the study group was 17.52 ± 1.20; more than a quarter age 18-years-old (n = 22; 28.9%). The HBM-MLOC-based intervention positively influenced the students’ perceived barriers to receive influenza vaccine, perceived benefits of receiving influenza vaccine, perceived susceptibility of contracting influenza, perceived severity of contracting influenza, the internal locus of control related to taking Influenza vaccine, the powerful others locus of control related to taking Influenza vaccine, and the chance locus of control related to taking influenza vaccine. In our study recommends to conduct similar studies over broader geographical regions throughout Iraq, incorporate the theory-based intervention that address the determinants of health; particularly the epidemics into the nursing curricula, and the necessity of community health nurses in Iraq to conduct community-based studies using theory-based interventions.
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