Effectiveness of a Health Belief Model-based integrated health education and mobile phone short message service intervention on health knowledge, perception, and self-efficacy toward smoking: a quasi-experimental study among industrial workers in Myanmar

Abstract Background Comprehensive interventions are needed for smoking concerns among industrial workers. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a Health Belief Model-based integrated health education and mobile phone short message service intervention on improving health knowledge, perception, and self-efficacy toward smoking among industrial workers in Myanmar. This study uniquely integrates Health Belief Model-based health education sessions with short message service over three months, addressing the specific needs of this demographic. Methods A quasi-experimental study involved 146 workers per group in Mandalay Industrial Zone, Myanmar. A Health Belief Model-based intervention included six health education sessions and daily short message service with weekly repeated content for the intervention group. The outcomes were health knowledge, perception (susceptibility, severity, barriers, and benefits), and self-efficacy, assessed at baseline, immediately after the 3-month training, and 3 months post-training completion in both groups. Homogeneity between groups at baseline was assessed using the chi-square test and the independent t-test. Between-group differences were compared using the independent t-test, and within-group changes were evaluated using repeated measures ANOVA. Generalized Estimating Equations was applied to adjust for baseline differences between groups, accounting for variables such as age, marital status, education status, income, age at first cigarette smoked, and years of smoking cigarettes. Significance level was set at p