A Field Experiment on Puberty Education among Iranian Female Adolescents: A Comparison of School-based and Family-based Interventions

Background: It is necessary to enhance understanding and attitudes towards puberty and reproductive health within the framework of the culture and beliefs of the community. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of school-based education compared with family-based education on puberty health behaviors in teenage girls. Methods: In 2018, an experimental field study was conducted on 272 high school girl students who were selected through multi-stage sampling method. A questionnaire was used for collecting the data. Face and content validity of the questionnaire was determined by nine health and fertility education experts. Content validity ratio and index were calculated by Lawshe and Walts and Basel methods. The test-retest method and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient were used for checking the reliability of the questionnaire. The Cronbach’s alpha for knowledge, attitude and behavior was 0.81, 0.92, and 0.73, respectively; also, ICC for all questions was 0.81. The students completed the questionnaire in two stages. Interventions were conducted for mothers, teachers and students through lecture and group discussion. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 16. Chi-Square, Paired T-test, ANOVA and ANCOVA were used for data analysis.Results: The results showed that after the intervention, knowledge, attitude and behavior scores were significantly higher, and the increase in the school-centered group was more than the family-centered group. Also, there was no significant difference in the mean scores in the control group. Conclusions: School engagement allows for the implementation of effective interventions to enhance menstrual management, ultimately leading to a decrease in negative psychosocial outcomes through improved interactions in the classroom.