Efficacy of an educational program based on health belief model to enhancing weight control behaviors among employees in University of Mosul: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Weight management is complex for most individuals, as indicated by the high numbers of obesity worldwide. Obesity has increased dramatically over the past decades. The study aims to determine the efficacy of an educational program based on the health belief model to improve weight control behaviors among overweight and obese employees at the University of Mosul. The study design is genuinely experimental, using the randomized controlled trial approach to enhance weight control behaviors among employees at the University of Mosul from January 10, 2021, to March 15, 2022. A probability simple random sample of 576 employees from faculties of different specializations was selected. The sample was chosen from a homogeneous group of 280 employees. Random selection and random assignment are used to create the experimental (40) and control group (40). The study results showed that in the pre-test, there was no significant difference between the experimental group and the control group in employee behaviors related to weight to control at a P-value (0.378). It showed an improvement in the behaviors of the study group toward weight control at (0.000) in the first and second post-tests. Also, the body mass index improved after three months for the experimental group at a P-value of 0.01. The researchers concluded that the intervention through the health beliefs model positively affected many health behaviors that affect weight maintenance. Keywords: Efficacy, Health Belief Model, Weight, Behaviors.