Publication:

Application of health belief model to assess periodic examination of thyroid functions in children among Saudi mothers

Background Hypothyroidism is a common concern in the development of physical and cognitive development in children. The health belief model is one of the models that examines the factors behind people’s behaviors. Aim was to assess the periodic examination of children among Saudi mothers and its association with different constructs of the health belief model.

Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among 385 participants of Saudi mothers for three months from January to April 2024 by using a designed structured questionnaire.

Results 88.05% of mothers showed poor behavior regarding periodic examinations of thyroid functions for their children. The significant factors that determined this behavior were the older mother’s age, working status (mother working), positive family history of hypothyroidism, good perceived benefits, and good cues to action. These factors were statistically significant at p value <0.05.

Conclusions Most of the mothers who participated in this study showed poor behavior regarding the regular examination of thyroid function tests of their children. Factors such as the older mother’s age, working status (working mother), positive family history of thyroid issues, good perceived benefits of the exams, and good cues to action were found to be significantly associated with mothers’ behavior towards this regular examination of thyroid function.