Christie L. Lumsden PhD, MS, RD, CDN, Burton L. Edelstein DDS, MPH, Cheng-Shiun Leu PhD, Jiaqing Zhang PhD, Marcie S. Rubin DrPH, MPH, MPA, Howard Andrews PhD
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objectives
To evaluate parent knowledge and belief changes following the MySmileBuddy (MSB) early childhood caries (ECC) intervention.
Methods
Pre- and post-intervention surveys were completed by 669 parents of children with visually-evident ECC from among 977 participants in a 6–12-month pragmatic community-based caries management trial administered by community health workers (CHWs). Six domains of knowledge about caries and motivating and facilitating determinants were assessed via 26 survey items. Principal components analysis and reliability testing reduced dataset dimensionality. Parent and CHW characteristics were analyzed as potential moderators. Paired T-tests measured pre-to-post-intervention changes. Generalized estimating equations accounted for within-participant correlation with significance set at p < 0.05.
Results
Twenty items consolidated into five factors (saliva, hygiene, diet, seriousness/susceptibility, and outcome expectations). Six additional items were evaluated individually. Positive post-intervention changes (p < 0.0001) were observed across all factors and all but one individual item (tooth decay is very common). Greatest knowledge increases related to caries as a bacterial disease in two measures, the saliva factor and a single caries belief item tooth decay is an infectious disease (0.59 unit increase, 95% CI [0.55, 0.64] and 0.46 unit increase, 95% CI [0.4, 0.51], respectively), and in the value of fluoridated water over bottled (0.46 unit increase, 95% CI [0.39–0.53]). Most parents improved knowledge of ECC salivary (72%) and dietary risks (57%), and preventative hygiene behaviors (59%).
Conclusions
MSB enhanced knowledge and beliefs about caries and confirmed hypothesized mediators of behavior change among parents of high-risk children. Engaging peer-like CHW interventionists may have moderated intervention effects, warranting further exploration.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Public Health Dentistry is devoted to the advancement of public health dentistry through the exploration of related research, practice, and policy developments. Three main types of articles are published: original research articles that provide a significant contribution to knowledge in the breadth of dental public health, including oral epidemiology, dental health services, the behavioral sciences, and the public health practice areas of assessment, policy development, and assurance; methods articles that report the development and testing of new approaches to research design, data collection and analysis, or the delivery of public health services; and review articles that synthesize previous research in the discipline and provide guidance to others conducting research as well as to policy makers, managers, and other dental public health practitioners.