Finlayson Tracy L, Siefert Kristine, Ismail Amid I, Delva Jorge, Sohn Woosung
School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
Pediatr Dent. 2005 Sep-Oct;27(5):422-8.
Low-income African American children experience high rates of dental caries compared to the general population. Knowledgeable and efficacious caregivers can play an important role in caries prevention. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate 4 brief measures reflecting mothers' potentially modifiable cognitions associated with African American children's oral health: (1) knowledge about appropriate bottle use (KBU); (2) knowledge about children's oral hygiene (KCOH); (3) oral health-related fatalism (OHF); and (4) oral health-related self-efficacy (OHSE).
Questions were selected based on reviews of the health promotion and oral health literature, with input from low-income African American caregivers of young children. Reliability and validity were evaluated using survey and dental examination data from 719 low-income African American mothers and their 1- to 5-year-old children.
Alpha reliabilities ranged from 0.76 to 0.91. KCOH was significantly associated with mothers' oral health perceptions and children's caries status. OHSE was significantly positively correlated with children's brushing frequency and with mothers' subjective perceptions of children's oral health, which was, in turn, significantly associated with children's caries status.
Results support the reliability and validity of the new measures. If confirmed by further research, these measures can be used to develop tailored educational and cognitive-behavioral interventions to reduce oral health disparities.
与普通人群相比，低收入非裔美国儿童患龋齿的比例较高。知识丰富且有效的照料者在预防龋齿方面可发挥重要作用。本研究的目的是开发并评估4种简短测量方法，以反映母亲们与非裔美国儿童口腔健康相关的潜在可改变认知：（1）关于正确使用奶瓶的知识（KBU）；（2）关于儿童口腔卫生的知识（KCOH）；（3）口腔健康宿命论（OHF）；以及（4）口腔健康相关自我效能感（OHSE）。
基于对健康促进和口腔健康文献的综述，并在低收入非裔美国幼儿照料者的参与下选择问题。使用来自719名低收入非裔美国母亲及其1至5岁孩子的调查和牙科检查数据评估信度和效度。
阿尔法信度范围为0.76至0.91。KCOH与母亲的口腔健康认知以及孩子的龋齿状况显著相关。OHSE与孩子刷牙频率以及母亲对孩子口腔健康的主观认知显著正相关，而母亲对孩子口腔健康的主观认知又与孩子的龋齿状况显著相关。
结果支持新测量方法的信度和效度。如果进一步研究予以证实，这些测量方法可用于制定针对性的教育和认知行为干预措施，以减少口腔健康差异。
