The College of Nursing at Baghdad University discussed the master’s thesis of researcher Ali Hussein Ajar, titled: “The effectiveness of an intervention based on the expanded health beliefs model in promoting preventive behaviors for ischemic heart disease among university students: A Randomized Controlled Trial”.
The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an intervention based on the Expanded Health Belief Model (EHBM) in encouraging college students to adopt preventive behaviors against ischemic heart disease.
Results showed statistically significant differences over time in favor of the intervention group. These differences included: Perceived readiness, perceived benefits and barriers, perceived self-efficacy, action cues, health motivation, social norms, and behavioral intention.
The study concluded that the intervention was effective in enhancing participants’ behavioral intention to adhere to preventive behaviors against ischemic heart disease. The researcher recommended repeating the study in as many Iraqi universities as possible to generalize the results. And to study the impact of socio-demographic variables on behavioral intention in future research.
This study is consistent with the third goal of the Sustainable Development Goals: “good health and well-being”. By focusing on the prevention of chronic diseases such as ischemic heart disease, the study contributes to reducing premature mortality rates and increasing healthy life expectancy. It also reflects the importance of promoting health awareness among young people (university students), thereby establishing a healthier and more sustainable society.
