Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Türk Hijyen ve Deneysel Biyoloji Dergisi, cilt.80, sa.3, ss.247-256, 2023 (Scopus)
Objective: The Health Belief Model (HBM) is an effective instrument in explaining and measuring behaviors protecting and improving the health. It was aimed to evaluate the compliance of healthcare professionals (HCP), who are on the front-line in the combat with COVID-19 pandemic, with protective measures according to the HBM. Methods: The present study is a cross-sectional study, which was carried out in the period in the first wave of epidemic in a province in the central Anatolian region of Turkey, with 316 ambulance medics serving. Compliance with protective measures was evaluated with an online form. The questionnaire consisted of questions related to the sociodemographic characteristics of the individuals (age, gender, marital status, etc.), variables related to health beliefs (chronic diseases, smoking and alcohol addiction, COVID-testing, etc.), the protective measures they applied during the COVID-19 process (staying at home, washing hands, wearing masks, etc.), and the COVID-19 HBM Scale questions created by the researchers through a literature review. Results: In the study group, 63.0% of participants were female and the ages ranged from 20-60. The mean age ±Standard Deviation (SD) was calculated to be 32±6.9 years. After the analyses of the COVID-19 HBM, which consists of four sub-dimensions (perceived threat, perceived barriers, perceived benefit, cues to action, and self-efficacy) and includes 20 items, the scale explained 57.8% of the total variance. Factor loads of the items ranged from 0.44 to 0.89, and their total correlations ranged between 0.22 and 0.61. The Cronbach’s alpha value was found to be 0.85. Overall, 71.8% of the participants were found to implement all the protective measures. In the study group, among those implementing all the protective measures, the scores of perceived threat (p=0.001) and benefit (p=0.006) sub-dimensions and the total score (p=0.001) were found to be higher. The COVID-19 HBM scale score was found to be higher in those who were diagnosed with COVID-19, those who had a test, those who had an increased level of anxiety, and those who thought the pandemic would last longer than a year. Conclusion: The COVID-HBM Scale developed in the study is a valid and reliable. According to the health belief model among healthcare professionals, perceiving COVID-19 as a threat and believing in the benefits of preventive measures is important for better control of the disease.