Health Education and Health Promotion

Aims: Occupational hazards in healthcare settings threaten the safety of medical students, whose protective behaviors during clinical training are vital for their well-being and patient care. This study applied Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) to identify key determinants of protective behaviors among medical students.
Methods: A descriptive–analytical (cross-sectional) study was conducted in 2025 among 420 medical students at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, selected through multistage cluster sampling. Data were collected using demographic and PMT-based questionnaires. Pearson correlation and linear regression analyses were performed in SPSS version 18, with a significance level of p < 0.05.
Findings: Participants had a mean age of 22.45 ± 3.9 years; 61% of the participants were female. Regression analysis showed that perceived susceptibility (p = 0.003), intention (p < 0.001), and behavior (p = 0.002) significantly predicted protection motivation. Self-efficacy (p = 0.001), intention (p = 0.001), and protection motivation (p = 0.002) significantly predicted protective behaviors.
Conclusion: Self-efficacy, intention, and protection motivation were the strongest determinants of students’ safety behaviors. PMT-based educational interventions may improve protective practices and reduce occupational risks in clinical environments.