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Can adopting skin cancer preventive behaviors among seafarers be increased via a theory-based mobile phone-based text
Esmat Heydari1, Tahereh Dehdari2, Mahnaz Solhi1
1Department of Health Education and Health Promotion, Faculty of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Shahid Hemmat Highway, Tehran, Iran.
Background:
One of the main occupational hazards for seafarers is the long exposure to sunlight. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of a mobile phone-based text message intervention in adopting skin cancer preventive behaviors among a sample of seafarers in Genaveh port located in Bushehr province, Iran.
Methods:
In this randomized controlled trial, 136 seafarers were randomly selected and assigned to the intervention (n = 68) or a control groups (n = 68). As a theoretical basis, we followed the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) variables to develop the text messages. The data related to PMT variables and skin cancer preventive behaviors were collected through a questionnaire. Forty-five text messages were designed, pre-tested and sent to the seafarers' phones in the intervention group in 45 days. Both groups were followed up 1 month after the intervention. Data collected in the two stages were analyzed using paired-samples t-test, ANCOVA, and Chi-square tests.
Results:
Following the intervention, the mean scores of adopting skin cancer preventive behaviors (p = 0.001), perceived self-efficacy (p = 0.01), protection motivation (p = 0.02), and fear (p = 0.001) were significantly higher in the intervention group than the control group. There was significant reduction in the response costs (p = 0.05) and perceived rewards (p = 0.01) scores in the intervention group compared with the control group after the intervention. However, there were no significant differences in the perceived vulnerability (p = 0.14), perceived severity (p = 0.09), and response efficacy (p = 0.64) between the two groups after the intervention.
Conclusions:
The results of the study indicated the effectiveness of mobile phone-based text message intervention for increasing skin cancer preventive behaviors in Iranian seafarers.
Trial Registration:
Iranian Registry for Clinical Trial (the link to trial: https://www.irct.ir/trial/7572 ). Registered 16 July, 2016. Prospectively registered.
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