THE EFFECTS OF PROGRAM ENHANCING SELF-EFFICACY ON ORAL HEALTH CARE OF OLDER ADULTS IN MUANG DISTRICT, MAHASARAKHAM PROVINCE.

Abstract

Objective : To study the effects of self-efficacy enhancement on oral health care of older adults program in Muang District, Maha Sarakham Province, and to compare an average score of self-efficacy expectation, expectation on the outcomes of the practice, oral health care behaviors, and dental plaque index.

Method : This was Quasi–Experimental research. The Self-Efficacy theory was applied to the program. Total samples were 60 people living in Muang district. The comparison group included 30 older adults which were randomly selected from the sub-district health-promoting hospital. The experimental group included 30 older adults who received the program enhancing self-efficacy on oral health care, focusing on how to properly brush their teeth for at least two minutes as trained by the research team. Testing was done by applying a two-group pretest-posttest design. The instruments used for collecting data were questionnaires and plaque record forms. The data were analyzed by using percentage, mean, standard deviation, Paired t-test, and independent t-test. The statistical significance was set at 0.05 level.

Result : The results of the analyses showed that at posttest intervention, there were no statistically significant differences found in the average scores of self-efficacy expectation, expectation on the outcomes of the practice, and oral health care behaviors between the two groups. In addition, the experimental group had less dental plaque index than the other group at the pretest and at the end of the comparison with statistical significance found at < 0.05 p-value.

Conclusion : The self-efficacy enhancing program on oral health care of older adults in Muang District, Maha Sarakham Province is effective and can be implemented in reducing the dental plaque of older adults