Views: 343 Downloads: 54

Abstract

Traffic accidents are a major cause of death and disability for adolescents in developing countries. This study explores how education, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, can reduce risky driving by changing influencing factors in male high school students and promote road safety. This quasi-experimental study utilized a randomized controlled trial design with 60 male high school students selected randomly from first-level high schools under the Mashhad Health Center’s area. Participants were split into experimental and control groups. After conducting a needs assessment using the Theory of Planned Behavior, a targeted educational intervention was designed and implemented for the experimental group. Follow-up assessments were conducted three months later, and data were analyzed with SPSS version 24, utilizing statistical tests including Mann-Whitney, chi-square, and Fisher’s exact tests. At the pre-intervention phase, there were no statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups concerning the Theory of Planned Behavior constructs (attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and behavioral intention). However, immediately after the intervention and at the three-month follow-up, the experimental group showed significant improvements in their average scores for these constructs (p < 0.0001). The study results demonstrate that educational programs for students significantly improve their attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and behavioral intentions related to safe traffic behaviors. Additionally, interventions aimed at preventing traffic accidents can considerably lower their occurrence‎.

Keywords: Theory of planned behavior, Traffic accidents, Health education, High school students.