LAUSR

Objective: To investigate predictors of caring behaviors of mothers of premature infants based on the health belief model. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted by using the structural equation modeling on 168 mothers of premature infants, who were selected by convenience sampling method from October 2017 to February 2018 in Iran. Data were collected by using a standard scale. Validity and reliability of all data collection tools were approved. Data were analyzed by using SPSS V.16 and Mplus6 software. Results: The structural equation modeling of the initial health belief model did not have a good fit, but the fitness of model 2 obtaining from the modified initial model was confirmed by changes in locations of constructs. None of constructs of model 2 had a significant positive association with the caring behavior of mothers of premature infants and only 2.8% of variance of caring behaviors in mothers could be predicted by the sum of variables of demographic characteristics and the modified health belief model constructs. Conclusions: Given that the findings do not approve the use of the health belief model in predicting determinants of caring behavior of mothers of premature infants, it is suggested to apply this model to investigate the effect of educational intervention based on the health belief model on the caring behavior of mothers.