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Testing the effectiveness of an SCT-based training program in enhancing health self-efficacy and outcome expectations among college peer educators.

Peer health education (PHE) is a widely implemented prevention approach among college populations. While social cognitive theory (SCT; Bandura, 2004) has been assumed to account for the underlying mechanisms of PHE, no studies have tested the utility of an SCT-based training program in improving health-related outcomes among peer educators. The present study developed, implemented, and tested the effectiveness of a 15-week, SCT-based wellness coaching training program in enhancing health self-efficacy (HSE) and outcome expectations (HOE) among undergraduate peer educators. The quasi-experimental design included an SCT training group (n = 39), alternative training group (n = 46), and no-treatment control group (n = 46) and gathered data from participants at pretest, posttest, and 6-week follow-up. Results of a split-plot multivariate analysis of variance revealed a significant interaction effect for group and time when considering HSE and HOE together. Follow-up analyses indicated that the interaction was significant for HOE, but not for HSE. The SCT group reported significantly lower HOE than the control group at pretest but showed no differences in HOE scores compared to the other two groups at posttest or follow-up. Findings also revealed significant improvements in the SCT group's HSE scores over time. The findings provide initial empirical support for the effectiveness of SCT-based training programs in promoting positive health-related beliefs and attitudes among peer educators. Further, this study demonstrates that the process of training peer educators may be utilized as a health promotion strategy in and of itself. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).