The Effect of a Protection Motivation Theory–Based Educational Intervention on Preventive Behaviors against Animal Bites in Elementary School Students

Khoshkharam, Zahra; Charoghchian-Khorasani, Elham; Behrozi, Bahare; Saboori, Samane; Peyman, Nooshin

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The Effect of a Protection Motivation Theory–Based Educational Intervention on Preventive Behaviors against Animal Bites in Elementary School Students

Zahra Khoshkharam

, Elham Charoghchian-Khorasani

, Bahare Behrozi

, Samane Saboori

, Nooshin Peyman ^*

Abstract: (83 Views)

Background and Objective: Animal bites are considered a public health concern worldwide. This study was conducted to determine the effect of an educational intervention based on Protection Motivation Theory on preventive behaviors against animal bites among female elementary school students in the city of Mashhad.

Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 122 girls aged 7–12 years in Mashhad during the 2024–2025 academic year. Participants were divided into intervention and control groups (61 students in each group) using a multistage random sampling method. The data collection tool was a two-part questionnaire including demographic information and a researcher-made animal bite prevention questionnaire, which was completed in three stages: before, immediately after, and three months following the educational intervention. The educational intervention was conducted in five sessions, each lasting 30 minutes. Data were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney, Friedman, and Chi-square tests in SPSS version 20. A significance level of 0.05 was considered.

Results: According to the results, the mean age of the students was 9.59 ± 1.79 years in the intervention group and 9.57 ± 1.63 years in the control group. Immediately after the intervention and also at the three‑month follow‑up, the mean scores of the Protection Motivation Theory constructs in the intervention group were significantly different compared with the control group (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: The results of the present study indicated the effectiveness of an educational intervention based on Protection Motivation Theory in improving animal bite preventive behaviors among female elementary school students. Therefore, it is recommended that school educational programs be designed using this theory to enhance students’ awareness and safe behaviors and to prevent consequences such as rabies.

Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Keywords: Protection Motivation Theory, Animal Bites, Students, Education

Type of Study: Research | Subject: Health Education & Health Promotion
Received: 2025/11/13 | Accepted: 2026/04/25

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