Oral health behavior among 25-year-old-Norwegian adults: factor structure, factorial invariance over time and trends

Factor structure of health and oral health-related behaviors among adolescents in Arusha, northern Tanzania

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the factor structure of health and oral health-related behaviors and it's invariance across gender and to identify factors associated with behavioral patterns.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study included 2412 students attending 20 secondary schools in Arusha. Self-administered questionnaires were completed at school.

RESULTS

Principal component analysis of seven single health and oral health-related behaviors (tooth brushing, hand wash after latrine, hand wash before eating, using soap, intake of sugared mineral water, intake of fast foods and intake of sweets) suggested two factors labeled hygiene behavior and snacking. Confirmatory factor analyses, CFA, provided acceptable fit for the hypothesized two-factor model; CFI = 0.97. Multiple group CFA across gender showed no statistically significant difference in fit between unconstrained and constrained models (p = 0.203). Logistic regression revealed ORs for hygiene behaviors of 1.5, 0.5, 1.5, 1.5 and 0.6 if being a girl, current smoker, reporting good relationship with school, access to hygiene facilities and bad life satisfaction, respectively. ORs for snacking were 1.3, 1.4, 0.4 and 0.5 if female, in the least poor household quartile, low family socio-economic status and high perceived control, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The two factors suggest that behaviors within each might be approached jointly in health promoting programs. A positive relationship with school and access to hygiene facilities might play a role in health promotion. Provision of healthy snacks and improved perceived behavioral control regarding sugar avoidance might restrict snacking during school hours.

Children's oral health-related behaviors: individual stability and stage transitions

In 2001-2005 in Pori, Finland, a program of oral health promotion (OHP) was targeted to schoolchildren and people involved in their life to provide social support for participants of the experimental group of a randomized clinical trial (RCT) on controlling caries.

OBJECTIVES

Our aim was to describe the individual stability and stage transitions for behaviors among children exposed to OHP in Pori and to ascertain whether these phenomena differed in the group that was also exposed to the experimental regimen of the RCT.

METHODS

The study population consisted of all 5th and 6th graders who started the 2001-2002 school year in Pori (n = 1691); 1362 of them were monitored throughout the 3.4-year study. Of these children, 1138 were exposed to OHP and 224 to OHP and the experimental regimen of the RCT. Data on toothbrushing and use of xylitol products, candies, and soft- and sports drinks were gathered with questionnaires. Behavior variables were dichotomized into good and poor. The stability of behaviors and stage transitions was evaluated.

RESULTS

Over half of the children had stable behaviors throughout the study. For those children whose behaviors changed, the behavior was more likely to improve than to worsen. For most behaviors, good behavior at baseline was associated with the ability to maintain the achieved good behavior and to recover from lapses to poor behaviors.

CONCLUSION

In childhood, behaviors, especially good ones, are rather stable. If healthy behaviors are learned young, lapses into poor behaviors, for instance during the teens, are likely be temporary rather than permanent.