Legislative Advocacy: Undergraduate and Graduate Student Learning Outcomes

Area of Science:

• Oral Health
• Public Health Policy
• Dental Hygiene Education

Background:

• Legislative advocacy is crucial for addressing oral health disparities.
• Underserved populations require alternative oral health care delivery methods.
• Leadership courses can integrate advocacy training.

Purpose of the Study:

• Assess advocacy knowledge, values, actions, and barriers in students undertaking a Legislative Advocacy Project (LAP).
• Evaluate the impact of a LAP on undergraduate and graduate dental hygiene students.

Main Methods:

• A pre-test/post-test online questionnaire assessed advocacy knowledge, values, and actions.
• Descriptive statistics analyzed perceived barriers.
• Convenience sample of 38 dental hygiene students (25 undergraduate, 13 graduate).

Main Results:

• Statistically significant increases in knowledge, values, and actions were observed post-LAP (p<0.001).
• No significant differences between undergraduate and graduate student responses.
• Primary barriers: lack of time, discomfort speaking to legislators, and testifying.

Conclusions:

• The LAP effectively enhanced students' oral health advocacy knowledge, values, and actions.
• Curricula should incorporate strategies to overcome identified barriers.
• The LAP influenced cognitive knowledge and affective domain levels, leading to an Affective Advocacy Model.