پزشکی بالینی ابن سینا (Dec 2006)

Applying Fear Appeals Theory for Preventing Drug Abuse among Male High School Students in Tehran

  • Hamid Allahverdipour,
  • Ali Reza Heidarnia,
  • Anooshirvan Kazem Nezhad,
  • Kim Witte,
  • Forough Shafiee,
  • Parviz Azad Fallah

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 3
pp. 43 – 50

Abstract

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Introduction & Objective: Drug abuse is one of the complicated phenomenons in the human communities that it produces health problems. The effect of applying fear appeal message on attitudes and intention against drug abuse, drug resistance skills, knowledge about side effect of drugs and drug abuse related behaviors among male high school students was studied based on applying extended parallel process model as a theoretical framework. Materials & Methods: Two high schools were chosen from six state high schools as an intervention (n=86) and control (n=97) groups. Educational curriculum, that was designed, based on students’ educational needs, appealed students’ fear and recommended messages developed studentschr('39') ability for resisting against drugs.Before intervention 5-6 students who were known as a favourite and leader of students, were selected by student’s opinion in each class as studentschr('39') leaders. The each leader of the group had a coordinator and mediate role between his group and health educators. Henceforth a favourite teacher was chosen by students’ vote for helping health educators and participated in the educational intervention program. Results: The result showed that educational manipulation had significant effect on intervention group’s average response for intention (t= -4.03, p<0.000) and attitude against drug abuse (t= -6.19, p<0.000), peer resistance skills (t=-0.82, p<0.000), and knowledge (t= -10.88, p<0.000). In addition, it was not found positive urinary rapid immune-chromatography test for opium and marijuana in the intervention group whereas 6.3% in the control groups. Conclusion: This findings suggest that applying fear appeals theories and effective health risk message would be an efficient tool for preventing drug abuse education programs but further studies are needed to define function of EPPM as a effective model for creating social inoculation against drug abuse among non- drug expose adolescents.

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