title: Effective Factors on Health-Promoting Lifestyle Among Iranian Chemical Veterans in 2014 Based on Health Promotion Model: A Path Analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Health-promoting behaviors can enhance physical and mental health among individuals with disability, particularly veterans.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The current study aimed to examine both one-way direct and indirect effects of the factors of the Health Promotion Model (HPM) on health-promoting behaviors in chemical veterans from Ilam province in Iran.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2014. In this study, 239 moderate-to-severe chemical veterans from Illam province supported by the veterans' affairs department of Ilam were evaluated via census sampling. Data including health-promoting behaviors, perceived self-efficacy, perceived barriers and benefits, perceived social support, and perceived health status were collected using standard questionnaires.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results show that the HPM is a poor predictor of the health-promoting lifestyles of chemical veterans (R2= 15%). Social support (factor loading = 0.38) is the strongest predictor of health-promoting behaviors and it influences such behaviors directly, while perceived barriers (factor loading = -0.11) and perceived self-efficacy (factor loading = 0.02) indirectly predict behavior through social support.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Perceived social support is the most important factor that influences health-promoting behaviors. Increasing social support by enhancing self-efficacy and decreasing perceived barriers can improve health-promoting behaviors among veterans.
authors: Department of Health, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, IR Iran.
authors: Roghayeh
authors: R
authors: Chenary
authors: Department of Health Education and Promotion, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, IR Iran; The Persian Gulf Marine Biotechnology Research Center, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, IR Iran.
authors: Azita
authors: A
authors: Noroozi
authors: Department of Health Education, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors: Sedighe Sadat
authors: SS
authors: Tavafian
authors: The Persian Gulf Marine Biotechnology Research Center, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, IR Iran.
authors: Maliheh
authors: M
authors: Saeed Firoozabadi
keywords: Chemical Veteran; Health Behavior; Health Promotion Model; Iran; Path Analysis