Effect of Socioeconomic Factors on the Constructs of the Modified Theory of Planned Behavior in Relation to Reproductive Health in Adolescents: Cross-sectional Study

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of socioeconomic factors on the constructs of the modified Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) in relation to reproductive health in adolescents. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 578 female students aged 12-16 years, recruited through a multistage random cluster sampling method, in Tehran, Iran. A self-administered TPB-based constructed questionnaire was designed and used for data gathering. Multivariate regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between family size, number of siblings, birth rank, and family closeness, source of information, and reproductive health behavior. Findings: The mean age of the participants was 14.1 years. None of the participants obtained a perfect score in relation to reproductive health. In addition, they achieved average scores less than half the rates. Number of siblings, family size, birth rank, mother education and information source were factors associated with TPB the constructs (p<0.001). Conclusion: The results of this study emphasize that Socioeconomic factors can have an effective role in students' sexual and reproductive health behaviors.