scholarly journals Storytelling, sugar snacking, and toothbrushing rules: a proposed theoretical and developmental perspective on children's health and oral health literacy

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 339-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Freeman
2021 ◽  
pp. 108482232110084
Author(s):  
Agata Wilk ◽  
Lisa LaSpina ◽  
Linda D. Boyd ◽  
Jared Vineyard

This study aimed to explore the level of perceived oral health literacy (OHL) among caregivers of the homebound population in the Chicago metropolitan area and how caregivers’ OHL impacts their oral care to the homebound population. The relationships between demographic characteristics, perceived OHL levels, personal oral health behaviors, and oral health care to clients were also assessed. This cross-sectional survey research examined 69 caregivers of the homebound population employed by home health agencies. The OHL was determined by the validated Health Literacy in Dentistry Scale (HeLD-14). Independent t-tests, chi-square tests set at p < .05 significance level, and logistic regressions were used for analysis. The mean age of participants was 43. The HeLD-14 scores indicated a high perceived OHL among this group. Caregivers came from diverse groups, and the majority spoke a second language at home. About 93% performed oral self-care the recommended amount of time or more, while only 57% did it for their clients. Those who cleaned clients’ mouth twice a day had a higher OHL score ( M = 23 compared to M = 19). About 43% did not check for sores in the client’s mouth, and those who checked had a higher OHL score ( M = 25 compared to M = 19). Controlling for OHL, age was a good predictor of oral care frequency to clients. These findings provide current evidence and add to the body of knowledge on OHL among homebound individuals. The results provide insights for designing a preventive approach in oral health care to the homebound population.


BDJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Sun ◽  
Chunying Li ◽  
Yan Zhao ◽  
Jing Sun

Abstract Objective This study aimed to establish the current situation, intellectual base, hotspots, development trends, and frontiers of oral health literacy (OHL) from the literature. Methods We analyzed 1505 bibliographic records dated between January 1990 and December 2020 retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection and the Scopus database. We used CiteSpace for word frequency analysis, co-occurrence analysis, co-citation analysis, clustering analysis, and burst analysis. Results The total number of publications increased year-on-year, with the majority of publications coming from the USA. Most studies focused on the relationship between (oral) health literacy and oral health, and the development of OHL instruments. The top 10 keywords by frequency were “health literacy”, “oral health”, “attitude to health”, “dental caries”, “adult”, “children”, “dental care”, “knowledge”, “questionnaire”, and “adolescent”. The keyword with the highest burst intensity was “dental health education”. Conclusions OHL research is a thriving field. The field is focused on the development of an OHL instrument and health promotion practice. Strategic cooperation among countries, institutions, authors, hospitals, and communities will be important to encourage further OHL research and address oral health problems.


Author(s):  
Brenda D. Koester ◽  
Stephanie Sloane ◽  
Elinor M. Fujimoto ◽  
Barbara H. Fiese ◽  
Leona Yi-Fan Su

Children are uniquely vulnerable to toxicant exposures in their environment, which can have long-lasting impacts on their health. Childcare providers are an important population to target for environmental health literacy, as most children in the United States under five years of age spend a significant number of waking hours in non-parental care. There is an increasing body of evidence that children are exposed to toxicants in the childcare environment, and yet little is known about what childcare providers know about environmental influences on the health of children in their care. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 36 home- and center-based Illinois childcare providers to better understand their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors as they relate to environmental influences on children’s health. We found that the majority of providers had a low level of understanding of potential sources of exposure in the childcare environment, and they did not feel that environmental exposures posed a significant risk to children. Future efforts to increase environmental health literacy should focus on raising awareness and knowledge of environmental health issues for childcare providers before addressing ways that providers can reduce or prevent toxicant exposures to children in their care.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjorita Sormunen ◽  
Svetlana Goranskaya ◽  
Valentina Kirilina ◽  
Kirsi Bykachev ◽  
Kerttu Tossavainen

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 69-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li-Ling Liao ◽  
Chieh-Hsing Liu ◽  
Chi-Chia Cheng ◽  
Tzu-Chau Chang

Background: Health literacy is related to health inequality, health behaviors, and health status. Globally, health literacy has primarily focused on adults and has been based on the medical model. It is necessary to understand children’s life experiences as they relate to health; thus, this study attempted to evaluate and describe the health literacy abilities of sixth-graders in Taiwan. Methods: Interviews were conducted with 10 teachers and 11 caregivers, and focus groups were conducted with 32 children. Health literacy abilities corresponding to real-life situations were identified from life skills and the Taiwanese Curriculum Guidelines for health education. Three expert meetings were held to redefine children’s health literacy using a health promotion perspective and confirmed indicators. Results: An operational definition of three aspects of children’s health literacy and 25 abilities was proposed: 11 functional health literacy abilities (e.g. understands the connection between personal health care behaviors and health); seven interactive health literacy abilities (e.g. obtains and understands information from various channels); and seven critical health literacy abilities (e.g. analyzes the relationship between personal needs and diet choices for a balanced diet). These indicators cover 10 health education categories. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of understanding Taiwanese children’s health literacy, and the urgency of developing an appropriate measurement tool. The definition and indicators in this study were identified using a child-centered approach focusing on children’s real-life experiences. The result serves as a solid basis for the development of the Taiwan Children’s Health Literacy Scale, and provides information for the decision-making sector on health education.


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Tan ◽  
Sandy Campbell

Books have long been recognized  resources for health literacy and healing (Fosson & Husband, 1984). Individuals with health conditions or disabilities or who are dealing with illness, disability or death among friends or loved ones, can find solace and affirmation in fictional works that depict characters coping with similar health conditions. This study asked the question “If we were to select a new collection of children’s health-related fiction in mid-2014, which books would we select and what selection criteria would we apply?”  The results of this study are a set of criteria for the selection of  current English language literary works with health-related content for the pre-kindergarten to Grade 6 (age 12) audience http://hdl.handle.net/10402/era.38842, a collection of books that are readily available to Canadian libraries - selected against these criteria http://hdl.handle.net/10402/era.38843, a special issue of the Deakin Review of Children’s Literature -  dedicated to juvenile health fiction, and book exhibits in two libraries to accompany the Deakin Review issue.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 13-22
Author(s):  
Azlan Jaafar ◽  
Normaliza AB Malik ◽  
aws hashim ali alkadhim

Objective: To identify the prevalence of caries, plaque score, and periodontal disease and explore the correlations between oral health literacy scores and oral health status among undergraduate students. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a group of undergraduate students using the Malay version of the Oral Health Literacy (OHL) Index. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select the samples. Clinical oral examinations were conducted by a single trained examiner using a Community Periodontal Index (CPI) probe and a mouth mirror. Data analysis was conducted using statistical tests contained in SPSS version 26, and statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: A total of 280 students were recruited into the study. The prevalence of caries and periodontal disease was 58.9 and 13.2%, respectively. There was a significant association between OHL and field of study (p<0.001). There was also a significant negative but weak correlation between OHL and dental plaque scores (r= -0.147; p=0.014). A significant positive but weak correlation was found between dental plaque scores and dental caries (r= 0.135; p=0.024) and periodontal pocket depth (r= 0.168; p=0.005). Conclusion: The prevalence of dental caries was high, while the prevalence of periodontal diseases was low in this study. OHL correlated significantly with dental plaque scores and field of the study. Thus, OHL assessment is essential to understand a person’s OHL levels and can be considered a screening tool for early detection of poor oral hygiene.


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