Public Policy Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA Oral Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA Preventive and Community Dentistry, University of Iowa, College of Dentistry, Iowa City, IA, USA Anthropology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA Center for Health Outcomes and Prevention Research, Sanford Research, University of South Dakota, Sioux Falls, SD, USA.
J Public Health Dent. 2014 Winter;74(1):64-70. doi: 10.1111/j.1752-7325.2012.00369.x. Epub 2012 Sep 21.
Preventive dental visits for preschool-aged children can result in better oral health outcomes, especially for children from lower income families. Many children, however, still do not see a dentist for preventive visits. This qualitative study examined the potential for the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM) to be used to uncover potential antecedents to parents' decisions about seeking preventive dental care.
Seventeen focus groups including 41 parents were conducted. The focus group protocol centered on constructs (perceived severity, perceived susceptibility, perceived self-efficacy, and perceived response efficacy) of the EPPM. Transcripts were analyzed by three coders who employed closed coding strategies.
Parents' perceptions of severity of dental issues were high, particularly regarding negative health and appearance outcomes. Parents perceived susceptibility of their children to dental problems as low, primarily because most children in this study received preventive care, which parents viewed as highly efficacious. Parents' self-efficacy to obtain preventive care for their children was high. However, they were concerned about barriers including lack of dentists, especially dentists who are good with young children.
Findings were consistent with EPPM, which suggests this model is a potential tool for understanding parents' decisions about seeking preventive dental care for their young children. Future research should utilize quantitative methods to test this model.
对学龄前儿童进行预防性牙科就诊可以改善口腔健康状况，特别是对低收入家庭的儿童而言。然而，许多儿童仍然没有进行预防性牙科就诊。本定性研究旨在探讨扩展平行处理模型（EPPM）在揭示父母决定寻求预防性牙科保健的潜在因素方面的应用潜力。
进行了 17 次焦点小组讨论，共有 41 名家长参与。焦点小组的方案集中在 EPPM 的构念（感知严重性、感知易感性、感知自我效能和感知反应效能）上。三位编码员采用封闭编码策略对转录本进行分析。
父母对牙齿问题严重性的看法很高，特别是对健康和外观的负面影响。父母认为孩子易患牙齿问题的可能性较低，主要是因为本研究中的大多数孩子都接受了预防性护理，家长认为这是非常有效的。父母为孩子获得预防性护理的自我效能感很高。然而，他们担心存在一些障碍，包括缺乏牙医，尤其是对年幼儿童友好的牙医。
研究结果与 EPPM 一致，表明该模型是理解父母为年幼子女寻求预防性牙科保健的决策的潜在工具。未来的研究应采用定量方法来测试该模型。
