Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to measure the association of general and oral health-related behaviours with living conditions and to explore the interrelationships between general and oral health-related behaviours in Chinese urban adolescents.
METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 2662 adolescents was conducted in eight Chinese provincial capitals. The response rate was 92%. The study population was selected through multistage cluster sampling and comprised three age groups: 11, 13 and 15 years. Data on oral and general health, lifestyles as well as living conditions were collected by means of self-administered structured questionnaires. Several additive indices were constructed from answers to the questions on specific behaviour, and participants were categorized according to scores on each component of health-related behaviour for statistical analyses by frequency distributions, regression analyses and factor analyses.
RESULTS: Oral health-related behaviours among adolescents were associated with socioeconomic status of parents, school performance and peer relationships. The odds of a dental visit was 0.63 in adolescents of poorly educated parents and the corresponding figure for regular oral hygiene practices was 0.62. Odds of tobacco use was 3 for adolescents with poor performance in school while odds of consuming sugary foods/drinks was 1.3. Adolescents with high levels of preventive oral health practices also demonstrated general health-promoting behaviours. In factor analysis of general and oral health-related behaviours, three factors were isolated: (a) risk behaviours (loadings 0.48-0.66), (b) health-promoting behaviours (loadings 0.60-0.64) and (c) help-seeking behaviours (loadings 0.56-0.67).
CONCLUSION: The findings support a multidimensional model of health behaviour. Several approaches and multiple methods should be applied in oral health education in order to modify behaviours that affect oral health.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology Online |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Pages (from-to) | 76-84 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| ISSN | 1600-0528 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2008 |
Keywords
- Achievement
- Adolescent
- Adolescent Behavior
- Child
- China
- Cross-Sectional Studies
- Factor Analysis, Statistical
- Health Behavior
- Humans
- Life Style
- Logistic Models
- Multivariate Analysis
- Oral Health
- Peer Group
- Principal Component Analysis
- Questionnaires
- Risk-Taking
- Social Class
- Urban Population
