Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Health

Advisor

Manoj Sharma

Abstract

There is a need to examine novel approaches that explain the association between the initiation and sustenance of HIV screening behavior. This quantitative, cross-sectional study was used to examine if the components of the multi-theory model (MTM) of health behavior change can explain the initiation and sustenance of HIV screening behavior among college-aged people. A convenience sample of 151 consenting college-aged people between the ages of 18 and 34 in a western US state completed a self-administered 44-item instrument. Multiple regression analysis was used to assess the correlation between the constructs of the multi-theory model of health behavior change (independent variables) and the decision of college-aged people to initiate and sustain HIV screening (dependent variable) as a health behavior change. The results showed that two out of three initiation constructs explained 27.6% of the variance in the behavioral change to initiate HIV testing (adjusted R2 = 0. 276, F (7, 143) = 9.173, p < 0.001), and two of three sustenance constructs explained 36.1% of the variance in the behavioral change to sustain HIV testing (adjusted R2 = 0.361, F (7, 143) = 13.130, p < 0.001). Implications for positive social change include justification of the utility of the multi-theory model of health behavior change to build evidence-based health education programs for public health agencies and interventions for primary care practitioners to address the growing incidence of HIV.

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