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Brushing behavior among young adolescents: does perceived severity matter
Parisa Kasmaei, Farkhondeh Amin Shokravi1, Alireza Hidarnia
1Department of Health Education, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. aminsh_f@modares.ac.ir.
BMC Public Health
|January 9, 2014
Summary
Understanding perceived objective severity and psychological barriers is key to improving adolescent tooth brushing habits. These factors significantly predict desirable oral hygiene practices in young individuals.
Area of Science:
- Oral health research
- Adolescent health behavior
- Health Belief Model
Background:
- Oral health is integral to overall physical and psychological well-being.
- Adolescent oral hygiene is crucial for long-term health.
- The Health Belief Model (HBM) provides a framework for understanding health behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the predictive power of the HBM for tooth brushing behavior in young adolescents.
- To specifically assess the role of perceived severity and its components in predicting tooth brushing.
- To investigate the influence of perceived barriers on oral hygiene practices.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study involving 265 female students in Rasht, Iran.
- Systematic random sampling used for participant recruitment.
- A questionnaire assessed tooth brushing behavior using HBM constructs, including novel divisions of perceived severity and barriers.
Main Results:
- Only 17.4% of students practiced desirable tooth brushing (twice daily or more).
- Perceived objective severity was a significant predictor (OR=0.37, P=0.001).
- Lower perceived psychological barriers were associated with desirable behavior (OR=2.60, P=0.001).
Conclusions:
- Perceived objective severity and reduced psychological barriers are critical factors in promoting adolescent tooth brushing.
- Interventions targeting these HBM constructs may improve oral hygiene in young populations.
- Findings highlight the importance of addressing adolescents' perceptions of disease severity and barriers to care.
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