Changes in maternal attitudes toward baby bottle tooth decay

Area of Science:

• Health Behavior
• Communication Studies
• Pediatric Dentistry

Background:

• Many parents possess knowledge about baby bottle tooth decay (BBTD) but fail to alter behaviors, such as allowing children to sleep with bottles.
• The Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion (ELM) provides a framework to understand the disconnect between knowledge, attitude, and behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To apply the ELM to analyze how information regarding BBTD is processed by parents.
• To assess the impact of persuasive messages on parental knowledge and attitudes toward BBTD.

Main Methods:

• 120 low-income pregnant women or those with infants under 7 months at a WIC clinic were randomized into three groups.
• Interventions included a 5-minute audiotaped message about BBTD, the same message with audience affirmation, or a control group.
• Knowledge and attitudes were measured pre- and post-intervention, with message quality and messenger expertise also assessed.

Main Results:

• Both intervention groups showed significant improvements in BBTD knowledge and attitudes compared to the control group (P < 0.05).
• No significant differences in knowledge or attitude change were observed between the audiotaped message alone and the message with audience affirmation.
• No significant differences were found in perceived message quality or messenger expertise between the groups.

Conclusions:

• Participants primarily processed the BBTD information via the central route, focusing on the message's content.
• Persuasive messages can effectively enhance parental knowledge and attitudes regarding BBTD, even without social validation.
• Understanding information processing routes is crucial for designing effective health behavior interventions.