The Effect of Education Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior on expression of Preventive Behaviors concerned with Brucellosis in Farmers

Background & Aim: Brucellosis is one of the most common animal-to-human transmissible diseases and one of the major health problems worldwide, especially in developing countries. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of education based on Theory of Planned Behavior on preventive behaviors concerning with brucellosis in farmers. Methods: This research is a quasi-experimental study with two groups of intervention and control. The target population of the ranch was covered by Zaveh Comprehensive Rural Health Service Centers, using multistage random sampling method, 104 individuals were selected. They were randomly divided into two groups of intervention (n=52) and control (n=52). A researcher-made questionnaire based on Structured Theory of Planned Behavior was used for data collection. Its validity and reliability were confirmed before the study. Data were analyzed using Chi-square, Mann-Whitney, Fisher tests and SPSS  24. Results: Demographic variables were homogeneous in both groups. Also, the mean scores of all the constructs of the theory of planned behavior in the immediately after the intervention and three months after the intervention were significantly different between the control and intervention groups (P-value <0.001). Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate the effectiveness of the theory of planned behavior in prevention of brucellosis. According to the results of this study, the theory of planned behavior can be used as a framework for designing educational interventions to prevent and control joint diseases between humans and animals, especially brucellosis.