Health Education and Health Promotion

en Prediction of Nutritional Behaviors that Prevent Osteoporosis in Adolescent Girls Using the Health Belief Model Aims: Osteoporosis is one of the most common diseases among women, and dietary patterns, especially during adolescence, significantly impact its occurrence and prevention. The present study examined the determinants of osteoporosis in female students at the first secondary school level in Ilam City based on the health belief model. Instrument & Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 819 participants selected by a two-stage cluster random sampling approach. Data were collected using a 52-item researcher-developed questionnaire based on the health belief model and analyzed using descriptive tests, Pearson’s correlation, multiple linear regression, one-way analysis of variance, and Chi-square test by SPSS 22 software. Findings: The average age of participants was 13.72±0.97 years, with an age range of 12 to 16 years. Also, 22.2% of participants had a family history of osteoporosis. Additionally, 29.2% and 22.6% of the participants reported a history of calcium and vitamin D supplement intake in the last month, respectively. The health belief model constructs accounted for a total of 18.9% of the variance in behavior. Perceived barriers and perceived self-efficacy were identified as the most important predictors of behavior, while other constructs were not significant predictors despite showing significant correlations with behavior. Conclusion: The constructs of self-efficacy and perceived barriers directly affected nutritional behavior preventing osteoporosis among teenage girls in Ilam City, while another construct had an indirect effect. Osteoporosis,Students,Behavior,Health Belief Model, 521 527 http://hehp.modares.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-59106-2&slc_lang=en&sid=4