The effectiveness of dental health education program by applying social support theory on dental caries prevention behaviors of primary school students in Amnat Charoen Province
Keywords:
Dental health education program, social support theory, dental caries preventionAbstract
This quasi-experimental study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a dental health education program based on social support theory on caries prevention behaviors among primary school students in Mae Subdistrict, Lue Amnat District, Amnat Charoen Province. The experimental group received an integrated dental health education program incorporating social support, while the comparison group received a standard dental health education program.
The research instrument was a structured interview questionnaire consisting of five dimensions: general information, knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and perceived social support. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, and independent t-tests.
The results revealed that, after the intervention, the experimental group demonstrated significantly higher mean scores in knowledge (M = 13.94, SD = 1.08), attitude (M = 43.14, SD = 1.45), behavior (M = 26.54,
SD = 1.86), and social support (M = 22.48, SD = 2.47) compared with their pre-intervention scores (p < .001) and the control group (p < .001).
In conclusion, the dental health education program based on social support theory effectively improved students’ knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and perceived social support, leading to more appropriate oral health care behaviors.
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