Effect of Health Education Program by Applying Protection Motivation Theory and Social Support for Sex Risk Behavior and Teenage Pregnancy Prevention among the Fifth Grade Student

Abstract

Background and Objective: Sex risk behavior can be the cause of teenage pregnancy. The aim of this quasi-experimental study was to investigate the effectiveness of a program by Protection Motivation theory and social support application for sex risk behavior and teenage pregnancy protection among the fifth grade student in a school of Amphur Phimai, Nakornrajsima Province.

Methods: A pretest-posttest two group design was used, and 66 student participants, were divided equally into an experimental and control groups. The experimental group attended a 10 week health education program based on Roger’s protection motivation theory and House’s social support theory. The main component activities of the intervention program were group discussion,  presentation, role play and participatory discussion for beverage solving . Social support was provided classroom visiting by the researchers. Questionnaires were used to collect information and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The comparison within group means were tested by paired t –test and independent t-test to test for the differences between group means at the 0.05 level of significance.

Results: There were seven outcome variables: knowledge, perceived severity, perceived susceptibility, self-efficacy, response-efficacy, practice behavior and social support. The main results were found that after implementation the mean scores of knowledge, self – efficacy, practice behavior  and social support    in experimental group were higher than before implementation and higher than comparison group ( p < 0.05)  except perceived severity, perceived susceptibility, response – efficacy.

Conclusion : The program of Protection Motivation and Social support can positively affect the sex behavior and teenage pregnancy in knowledge, practice behavior and social support among the fifth grade student.

Key words: Protection Motivation, Sex risk behavior, Teenage pregnancy