Original Article
Int J Clin Prev Dent 2015;11(1):1-6ㆍhttp://dx.doi.org/10.15236/ijcpd.2015.11.1.1 ISSN (Print) 1738-8546ㆍISSN (Online) 2287-6197
Evaluation of an Oral Health Intervention Questionnaire amongst Parents of Pre-School Children from Bangalore North: A Comparative Study Deepak Viswanath, Anindita Sarma Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, Krishnadevaraya College of Dental Sciences, Bangalore, India
Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the impact of different and newer health education methods amongst the parents of pre-schoolers from Bangalore-North. Methods: The study comprised of 180 parents along with their respective children from the same socio-economic status from three different play schools having strength of 60 children each. Further, in each school, the children were randomly divided into three groups and questionnaires were distributed on three consecutive days; the filled questionnaires were collected half an hour later on all the three consecutive days. Results: Comparison of the statistical data showed that there was a significant statistical improvement in all groups except the control group. In our study, the respective subgroup III (involving 20 parents each) from all the groups A, B, and C showed significant improvement when compared with other subgroups (I and II). Conclusion: A motion media presentation, as a method of health education and promotion indeed had a big impact on the oral health attitude and knowledge of the parents so that these parents can act as reinforces in improving the oral health among their children. Keywords: intervention, care givers, dental caries, knowledge, questionnaires
Introduction
necessary from a young age so as to ensure positive long term dental health and hygiene [1]. Frequent consumption of food stuffs containing non milk extrinsic sugars coupled with lack of fluoride have been clearly identified as the main contributor leading to the development of dental caries [2]. Positively influencing the knowledge, attitude and behavior of children towards sustaining a good oral health requires an integrated health education as well as a proper health promotion. Behavior change theories such as the Social Learning Theory [3] and the Health Belief Model [4] suggests that changes in knowledge, attitudes and behavior may be brought about using a concerted approach involving mass media, community; further the effectiveness of media campaigns is enhanced when re-
It is a well-known fact that good oral hygiene practices are
Corresponding author Deepak Viswanath Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, Krishandevaraya College of Dental Sciences, Int. Airport Road, Hunasamaranahalli, Bangalore, Karnataka 562157, India. Tel: +91-9480226226, Fax: +91-8028467084, E-mail:
[email protected] Received September 11, 2014, Revised September 17, 2014, Accepted March 14, 2015
Copyright ⓒ 2015. Korean Academy of Preventive Dentistry. All rights reserved. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
1
International Journal of Clinical Preventive Dentistry
Figure 1. Showing distribution of samples.
inforced by individual interaction [5]. Coupled with this, the combined approach of media supported by health professional input has been shown to affect sustained behavioral change [6]. Mass media has been identified and accepted as a possible vehicle for dental health education [7]. Further, to ensure a long-term good dental health, oral hygiene practices are critical from a very young age where an integrated health education and health promotion is necessary to positively influence the knowledge, attitude and behavior of children towards good oral health. For a successful oral health program, one of the positive mediators is through school based programs which aim at improving the overall oral health status of children. The present generation of pre-schoolers is not only influenced by social environment and teachers, but also by media and television. The methods of health education provided to these pre-schoolers vary according to their age groups. It is hypothesized that the effects on a child’s oral health will be mediated through the primary care-giver (parent). Therefore the present study was aimed at evaluating the intervention (through a questionnaire) primarily amongst the parents of pre-school children from Bangalore North. Hence our study was planned to assess the impact of two different modes of health education among parents of pre-schoolers and to determine the most effective mode among them.
Materials and Methods The study protocol was assessed and approved by the institutional review board of Krishnadevaraya College of Dental Sciences, Bangalore, India. Parental consent was obtained to carry out the study and the sample was selected in such a way that all participants belonged to the same socio-economic status and had a full complement of primary dentition. The study group included 180 parents of 180 pre-schoolers. The aim of the intervention program/the present study was
2 Vol. 11, No. 1, March 2015
to increase awareness and knowledge of the importance of oral health maintenance among the care-givers of the pre-schooler children so that they act as role models/peers in incorporating a positive behavioral change in their children. Three play schools from same socio-economic strata were included in the study and were divided into three sub-groups (A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3 & C1, C2, C3; Figure 1). On day 1 (of first week), the questionnaires were distributed among 20 parents from school A selected randomly without any prior notice. This was to ensure and check the pre-existing knowledge of the parents/care givers and their attitude towards dental awareness. The filled questionnaires were collected within 30 minutes. Similar protocol was adopted in school B and C in the succeeding weeks. On day 2 (of first week), 20 parents were selected randomly and were subjected to a pictographic presentation, highlighting the important aspects of the oral health education and preventive aids for children. The parents were given questionnaires and the filled questionnaires were collected within 30 minutes. Similar protocol was adopted in school B and C in the succeeding weeks. On day 3 (of first week), 20 parents were randomly selected and were shown a motion media presentation highlighting the important aspects of oral health education and preventive aids for children and were subsequently given a questionnaire. The filled questionnaires were collected within 30 minutes. Similar protocol was adopted in school B and C in succeeding weeks. The statistical analyses were performed with the SPSS ver.17 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) and p
