{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,2]],"date-time":"2026-07-02T20:22:33Z","timestamp":1783023753797,"version":"3.54.6"},"reference-count":12,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,16]],"date-time":"2026-04-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1776297600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":15,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,1]],"date-time":"2026-04-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1775001600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Health Science Reports"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background and Aims<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Trachoma remains a leading cause of preventable blindness in Ethiopia, where maternal preventive practices are critical for interrupting transmission. However, the psychosocial and perceptual landscape shaping these practices in high\u2010burden rural communities is poorly characterized. This study describes maternal health beliefs and examines their correlational structure using the Health Belief Model (HBM) to inform the content and delivery of health education.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A community\u2010based cross\u2010sectional study was conducted in June 2022 in the Andabet district, Northwest Ethiopia, involving 624 mothers with children under nine. Data was collected via face\u2010to\u2010face interviews using a validated HBM\u2010based questionnaire. The analysis included descriptive statistics of socio\u2010demographics and HBM constructs, as well as a Pearson correlation matrix to explore the relationships between perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, barriers, self\u2010efficacy, and prevention practices.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Nearly half (49.5%) of mothers reported good trachoma prevention practices. Descriptive analysis revealed a high perceived severity (mean\u2009=\u20090.97, SD\u2009=\u20090.02) and strong belief in benefits (mean\u2009=\u20090.85, SD\u2009=\u20090.06), but moderate perceived susceptibility (mean\u2009=\u20090.65, SD\u2009=\u20090.20) and self\u2010efficacy (mean\u2009=\u20090.68, SD\u2009=\u20090.21). A critical knowledge gap was identified, with only 38.5% recognizing flies as a transmission vector. Correlation analysis revealed negligible linear relationships between individual HBM constructs and prevention practices (all |\n                      <jats:italic>r<\/jats:italic>\n                      |\u2009&lt;\u20090.1), as well as weak inter\u2010construct correlations, suggesting independent, non\u2010linear influences on behavior.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>While mothers recognize trachoma's severity and value prevention, specific knowledge gaps and moderate self\u2010efficacy levels persist. The lack of strong linear correlations highlights the complexity of health behavior, indicating that improving practices requires more than simply raising awareness. Health education must be multi\u2010faceted, targeted, and designed to address specific misconceptions (e.g., fly transmission) while bolstering personal confidence and competence in performing preventive actions within resource\u2010constrained realities.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1002\/hsr2.72401","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,17]],"date-time":"2026-04-17T04:50:03Z","timestamp":1776401403000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Maternal Perceptions and Practices in Trachoma Prevention: A Descriptive and Correlational Analysis Using the Health Belief Model in Rural Ethiopia"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"9","author":[{"given":"Zufan Alamrie","family":"Asmare","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine and Health Science Debre Tabor University Debre Tabor Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Almaw Genet","family":"Yeshiwas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Environmental Health, College of Medicine and Health Science Injibara University Injibara Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gashaw Melkie","family":"Bayeh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Environmental Health, College of Medicine and Health Science Injibara University Injibara Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2388-3171","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tilahun Degu","family":"Tsega","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Injibara University Injibara Ethiopia"},{"name":"Department of Epidemiology School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University Jinan China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sintayehu Simie","family":"Tsega","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Nursing, School of Nursing, College of Medicine and Health Science University of Gondar Gondar Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Asaye Alamneh","family":"Gebeyehu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Depatment of Public Health, College of Health Science Debre Tabor University Debre Tabor Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0879-3303","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Getaneh Atikilt","family":"Yemata","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Depatment of Public Health, College of Health Science Debre Tabor University Debre Tabor Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rahel Mulatie","family":"Anteneh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Depatment of Public Health, College of Health Science Debre Tabor University Debre Tabor Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Amare Genetu","family":"Ejigu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Midwifery College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Injibara University Injibara Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ahmed Fentaw","family":"Ahmed","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Injibara University Injibara Ethiopia"},{"name":"Facility of Health Science and Technology, University of Brazilia Bras\u00edlia Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3275-1629","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zeamanuel Anteneh","family":"Yigzaw","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University Bahir Dar Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abathun","family":"Temesgen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Environmental Health, College of Medicine and Health Science Injibara University Injibara Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abebaw Molla","family":"Kebede","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Injibara University Injibara Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-7660-1776","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Habitamu","family":"Mekonen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Human Nutrition College of Health Science, Debre Markos University Debre Markos Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anley Shiferaw","family":"Enawgaw","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health College of Health Sciences, Debre Markos University Debre Markos Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8755-9904","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Getasew","family":"Yirdaw","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Environmental Health Science College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Debre Markos University Debre Markos Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Berhanu Abebaw","family":"Mekonnen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Dietetics School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University Bahir Dar 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