The Relationship between Health Belief Model Structures with HIV / AIDS Prevention Behaviors in Women with High Risk Sexual Behavior, Tabriz 2018

Abstract

Abstract: Background: AIDS is the acute problem in the world. A factor in the rapid spread of HIV is the transmission of infection among women with high-risk sexual behaviors and their clients. Health Belief Model ( HBM ) is one of the most applicable behavioral models in health education for prevention and control of diseases. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between health belief model constructs and behavioral prevention of HIV in women with high risk sexual behaviors in Tabriz – Iran, 2018.Objectives: The present study was conducted to determine the predictors of preventive behaviors of HIV/AIDS based on HBM constructs in women with high-risk sexual behaviors in Tabriz, Iran, in 2018.Methods: This cross-sectional study was done on 200 women with high-risk sexual behaviors. All eligible women with high-risk sexual behaviors who had records at the four vulnerable women's centers were selected by census. Data collection was done through validated questionnaires in the field of socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge about HIV transmission, prevention of high-risk behaviors HBM constructs including self-efficacy for negotiating safe sex, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits and perceived barriers. Pearson correlation coefficient, one-way ANOVA and multivariate linear regression analyses were used to analyze the data.Results: The mean (SD) score of preventive behaviors was 15.62 (3.58) from the attainable range of 0 to 24. The mean (SD) score of knowledge about HIV transmission was 11.97 (2.68) from the attainable range of 0 to 18. The weakest behavioral prevention was related to having oral, anal, and vaginal-oral sex. Among HBM constructs the highest and the lowest mean scores were belonged to perceived severity (11.01 from the attainable range of 4 to 12 ) and self- efficacy for negotiating safe sex (19.96 from the attainable range of 0 to 36) constructs, respectively. According to Pearson correlation test, there is a significant direct relationship between perceived severity, perceived benefits, self-efficacy for negotiating safe sex and knowledge about HIV transmission and with increasing these variables, the level of behavioral prevention increases. Based on multivariate linear regression model, variables including perceived severity, perceived benefits, sexual violence history, depression history, activity at the customer's home, condom use, husband's education, husband's job, condom use in non-monetary customers were predictors of preventive behaviors.Conclusions: The results of this study showed that perceived sensitivity, perceived barriers, perceived self-efficacy and awareness of HIV transmission are not predictive of the adoption of HIV / AIDS prevention behaviors in women with high-risk sexual behaviors, but in contrast, perceived severity and perceived benefits can lead to the adoption and non-adoption of HIV / AIDS prevention behaviors. Future studies should include strategies to create harm reduction training programs for enhancing perceived benefits of adopting HIV / AIDS preventive behaviors, as well as increasing the perceived severity of HIV in this vulnerable group.