The effects of an educational intervention based on the protection motivation theory on the protective behaviors of emergency ward nurses against occupational hazards: a quasi-experimental study

BACKGROUND

Emergency ward nurses face a variety of occupational hazards due to the nature of their occupational and professional duties, which can negatively affect their health. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of an educational intervention based on the protection motivation theory on the protective behaviors of emergency ward nurses against occupational hazards in Tehran, Iran, in 2023.

METHODS

The present quasi-experimental study was conducted with two intervention and control groups, using a pretest-posttest design. A total of 124 nurses working in the emergency wards of four hospitals (two hospitals for the intervention group and two hospitals for the control group by random assignment) were selected by multistage sampling method. The educational intervention based on the protection motivation theory was implemented for the intervention group for three weeks. The nurses of both groups completed a demographic questionnaire and the scale of emergency ward nurses' protective behaviors against occupational hazards before, immediately, and one month after the intervention. Data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential methods.

RESULTS

The two groups were similar in terms of demographic characteristics at the baseline (p > 0.05). Protective behaviors of emergency nurses against occupational hazards and their sub-scales (physical, chemical, biological, ergonomics, and psychosocial hazards) were higher in the intervention group than in the control group immediately and one month after the educational intervention. In addition, the measurement over time also showed the positive effect of time and educational intervention on the protective behaviors of emergency nurses against occupational hazards and their sub-scales in the intervention group.

CONCLUSION

These findings showed that the educational intervention based on the protection motivation theory can be effective and helpful in improving the protective behaviors of emergency ward nurses against occupational hazards and their sub-scales. Future studies can focus on a more specific design of this kind of intervention based on the type of occupational hazards and needs of nurses in different wards.

Hearing protection behavior of farmers in Iran: Application of the protection motivation theory

BACKGROUND: Noise in work environments is regarded as a serious issue. Hearing loss leads to socio-economic problems and huge costs to families and communities. Agriculture is one of the professions in which individuals face occupational noise. Farmers are the second leading group in suffering from hearing loss in the world. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to predict the hearing protection behavior of farmers by using the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT). METHOD: This descriptive study was conducted through a survey. The questionnaire was the main tool for data collection. The population of the study consisted of wheat farmers in Kermanshah province (N = 126,900). By using Krejcie and Morgan’s table and stratified random sampling method, 382 farmers were taken as the research sample. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by the experts of this field, and the reliability was proved through a pilot study to calculate Cronbach’s alpha. RESULTS: The findings showed that perceived self-efficacy, perceived response efficacy, perceived vulnerability, and perceived response costs had the strongest effects on farmers’ motivation to protect their hearing, respectively. Furthermore, protection motivation had a significant effect on farmers’ protection behavior. CONCLUSION: Threat and coping appraisals as cognitive mediating processes determined farmers’ behavior for hearing protection. The results illustrated that the components of PMT were appropriate predictors of farmers’ hearing protection behavior.