Effects of Behavioral Change Program for Dental Services among Hmong Pregnant Women in Khaokho District, Phetchabun Province

Abstract

This quasi-experimental research aimed to study the effects of a behavioral change program for dental services among Hmong pregnant women. The participants consisted of 62 Hmong pregnant women who attended the antenatal clinic at Khaokho Hospital and Lomkao Crown Prince Hospital, Phetchabun Province. They were equally divided into an experimental group (n = 31) and a control group (n = 31). The research instruments included the behavioral change program for dental services among Hmong pregnant women, the equipment for running the program, a general information questionnaire, a perceived severity of periodontitis questionnaire with a reliability of .86, a perceived susceptibility of periodontitis questionnaire with a reliability of .82, a response efficacy of preventing periodontitis questionnaire with a reliability of .94, a self-efficacy expectation of preventing periodontitis questionnaire with a reliability of .92, and a dental service record form. The implementation and data collection were conducted from August to November 2020. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, paired t-test, independent t-test, Chi-square test, and crude odds ratio.

The research results revealed that 1) after the experiment, the experimental group had statistically significantly higher mean scores of perceived severity of periodontitis, perceived susceptibility of periodontitis, response efficacy of preventing periodontitis, and self-efficacy expectation of preventing periodontitis than before the experiment (t = 7.344, p < .001; t = 6.461, p < .001; t = 7.408, p < .001; and t = 7.040, p < .001, respectively); 2) after the experiment, the experimental group had statistically significantly higher mean scores of perceived severity of periodontitis, perceived susceptibility of periodontitis, response efficacy of preventing periodontitis, and self-efficacy expectation of preventing periodontitis than the control group (t = 6.190, p < .001; t = 7.850, p < .001; t = 7.142, p < .001; and t = 5.405, p < .001, respectively); and 3) after the experiment, the experimental group had 3.39 times more likely to dental services than the control group (COR = 3.39, 95% CI = 1.18–9.71, p < .05).

This research suggests that healthcare providers should implement the behavioral change program for dental services among Hmong pregnant women for all targeted groups and appropriately apply it in other areas.