IADR Abstract Archives
Associations Between Sociodemographic Characteristics and Improvement in Oral Health-Related Knowledge
Objectives: To assess the association between sociodemographic characteristics and increase in oral health-related knowledge.
Methods: 196 Lithuanian adults participated in an online oral health program. The pre-post evaluation study design was used. The baseline questionnaire included demographic characteristics such as education, gender, residence, and age, and oral health-related knowledge. Then participants were invited to read six oral health-related articles in the tailor-maid website. Subsequently, via a second questionnaire we inquired about the number of articles reviewed and assessed participant oral health knowledge. A total of 40 questions inquired about the etiology and prevention of oral diseases. Based on the responses, the total individual oral health-related knowledge score was calculated. The change in oral health knowledge indicated the difference between the baseline (pre-) and the follow-up (post-educational) total knowledge scores. For statistical analyses, the knowledge change score was categorized into two groups with cut-off point median value of ‘6’. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis tested associations between sociodemographic characteristics and change in oral health-related knowledge.
Results: The medium age of participants were 54 years (range 18-85 years), 76% (n=149) were females. Age, residence and gender were not significantly related to knowledge change. Lower education (less than 10 years versus 16+ years) negatively associated improvement in oral health-related knowledge (OR 0.3, 95%CI 0.1; 0.7). Participants who read more articles had higher odds for knowledge improvement (OR 1.3 95%CI 1.1; 1.5).
Conclusions: Lower education was negatively and the higher number of articles read was positively associated with the improvement in oral health-related knowledge.
Methods: 196 Lithuanian adults participated in an online oral health program. The pre-post evaluation study design was used. The baseline questionnaire included demographic characteristics such as education, gender, residence, and age, and oral health-related knowledge. Then participants were invited to read six oral health-related articles in the tailor-maid website. Subsequently, via a second questionnaire we inquired about the number of articles reviewed and assessed participant oral health knowledge. A total of 40 questions inquired about the etiology and prevention of oral diseases. Based on the responses, the total individual oral health-related knowledge score was calculated. The change in oral health knowledge indicated the difference between the baseline (pre-) and the follow-up (post-educational) total knowledge scores. For statistical analyses, the knowledge change score was categorized into two groups with cut-off point median value of ‘6’. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis tested associations between sociodemographic characteristics and change in oral health-related knowledge.
Results: The medium age of participants were 54 years (range 18-85 years), 76% (n=149) were females. Age, residence and gender were not significantly related to knowledge change. Lower education (less than 10 years versus 16+ years) negatively associated improvement in oral health-related knowledge (OR 0.3, 95%CI 0.1; 0.7). Participants who read more articles had higher odds for knowledge improvement (OR 1.3 95%CI 1.1; 1.5).
Conclusions: Lower education was negatively and the higher number of articles read was positively associated with the improvement in oral health-related knowledge.