Implementing a health empowerment model on COVID-19 preventive behaviors in Iranian men

Considering the high risk of contracting infectious diseases such as COVID-19 among employees of various industries, it is necessary to design and implement preventive and empowerment strategies in the face of these diseases. Understanding the communities and designing effective educational models can prevent the spread and transmission of this disease in different communities. This study was a quasi-experimental study from social methodology and in this study design the formation of groups is not randomized; the groups are naturally formed. Exploratory factor analysis was used to design the questionnaire as well as the multivariable logistic regression model to develop the educational empowerment model. The sample size in this phase was 347 men in the year 2022 in the center of Tehran City, Iran. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 23. The results of multivariable logistic regression showed that the perceived fear, perceived social barriers, and also the perceived individual barriers of COVID-19 prevention behavior could predict the COVID-19 individual preventive behaviors. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between the perceived social barriers to COVID-19 prevention and the perceived fear of COVID-19 (P-value < 0.05). During the intervention phase, 100 men were educated and empowered in each intervention and control group. Comparing the pre-test and post-test with the statistical tests indicated that the designed educational model in this study significantly changed people's attitude toward COVID-19, the COVID-19 social preventive behaviors, and COVID-19 individual preventive behaviors (P-value < 0.05).