The effect of an educational intervention based on the Health Belief Model on nutritional behaviors of the older people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Objective(s):This study was conducted aiming to assess the effect of an educational intervention based on the health belief model on the nutritional behaviors of the elderly with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.Methods: This semi-experimental research was conducted on 156 elderly participants (intervention and control groups) with fatty liver referred to comprehensive health service centers covered by the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.The data was collected by a valid questionnaire.The educational intervention based on the health belief model was presented during 5 sessions only for the intervention group.One month after the intervention, the data was analyzed using descriptive and statistical tests. Results:The mean age of the participants in the intervention group was 64.473.68 years and it was 65.325.3years in the control group.The majority of the elderly in both groups were women, married, housewives, and having secondary educational level.By comparing the mean scores of the two groups before and after the intervention, only significant statistical differences were observed for attitude (p=0.011),perceived barriers (p=0.034) and cues to action (p=0.002). Conclusion:The design and implementation of an educational program based on the health belief model could influence attitude, perceived barriers and cues to action that might possibly improve the nutritional behavior of the elderly with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.