Determinants of seat belt use among drivers in Sabzevar, Iran: a comparison of theory of planned behavior and health belief model.

OBJECTIVE Although seat belt use can significantly decrease the risk of injury, few car drivers make use of seat belts in Iran. The aim of this study was to test the utility and efficiencyof the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the health beliefmodel (HBM) in predicting intention to use a seat belt among car drivers in Sabzevar, Iran. METHODS A cross-sectional, correlational design was employed. Cluster sampling was used to recruit 340 drivers to participate in the study. A self-administered questionnaire was applied to investigate variables of interest. Reliability and validity of the instruments were examined. The statistical analyses of the data included t test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), bivariate correlation, and stepwise regression. RESULTS All TPB and HBM variables were related to intention to use a seat belt in car drivers. All TPB (perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, and attitude) and HBM (perceived susceptibility and severity, benefits and barriers, and cues to action) variables were statistically significant predictors of seat belt use intention and accounted for 37.9 and 15.4 percent of the variation, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Our results showed that the rate of seat belt use in Iran as a developing country is very low. Thus, developing and implementing effective interventional programs in order to promote seat belt use among car drivers is recommended. The findings of this study provide preliminary support for the TPB model as a more effective framework than HBM for examining seat belt use in car drivers. Our results demonstrated that TPB has greater predictive utility than HBM in seat belt use intention.