Study of the Safe Behavior in Road Crossing Using the Theory of Planned Behavior among Middle School Students

Background Given that school-age students, as active road users, are more vulnerable to injury compared with other pedestrians, a large number of them, following an injury, may either fail to go to school at least for a short time or even suffer from disabilities for the rest of their lives. The aim of this study was to determine safe behavior in road crossing using the theory of planned behavior among middle school students. Materials and Methods The current study was cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical in design. The population included middle school students in Qom, Iran. A multistage sampling procedure was utilized with 364 students participated in the study. A questionnaire about theory of planned behavior underlying safe behavior in road crossing was employed. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 by independent-samples t-test, Chi-square, and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results In the current study, the mean score of safe behavior in road crossing for female students was significantly higher than in male students (P < 0.001). In addition, there were significant positive relationships between safe behavior in road crossing and attitude (r = 0.36, p < 0.001), perceived behavioral control (r = 0.24, p < 0.001), and intention (r = 0.20, p < 0.001). In contrast, there was no statistically significant relationship between safe behavior and subjective norms (r = -0.26, p = 0.61). Conclusion As regards, safe behavior in road crossing is low among students, and their attitude and ability affected on behavior; therefore, using the theory of planned behavior can be increased safe behavior in road crossing.