Search

Recent recommendations for prevention and treatment of chronic diseases emphasize long-term modification of patient health activities. Thus far, the public has accepted these recommendations only moderately. In a schoolbased topical fluoride program, urban and suburban seventh-graders were offered three fluoride treatments at five-and-a-half-month intervals. During the program, students were exposed to one of three techniques for increasing motivation to take part in preventive treatment programs 1) information-alone, 2) information-plus-small rewards, 3) information-plus-group-discussion. “Information” refers to a slide showdemonstration designed to communicate information about tooth decay, fluorides, and the treatment program.

Interest in a free breast self-examination (BSE) teaching program offered to a patient population (n=1590) was assessed, and a follow-up survey of refusers undertaken to determine difference between participants and refusers. Fifty-one percent of the known, eligible women patients expressed interest in the program and 24% ultimately had the teaching. Participants differed from refusers most notably in terms of less previous experience with BSE, more family history of cancer, a longer relationship with their physicians, and different health beliefs. They state more confidence in the effectiveness of breast cancer detection and treatment, less fear and embarrassment, and more personal and physician responsibility for health outcomes, as measured by the Health Locus of Control Scales. Self-selection thus seems rationally based on the kind of program and the needs of the women. Such self-selection can be cost- effective in delivering health education to the people most in need of it and most likely to benefit from it.

The Health Belief Model is currently receiving substantial attention in the field of health education, not only because the Model attempts to explain health behavior but also because it specifies variables which are presumed to be modifiable. This article presents data from an adolescent population which contradict both of these assumptions. In addition, the data suggest that compliance with new preventive dental activities seems to be higher for children who have practiced similar activities before, with some minimal but not high level of parental involvement. However, in general, both health beliefs and acceptance of new activity were relatively unrelated to prior dental experiences and behavior among these children.

Behavioral research was noted as important to the dental public health practitioner in helping him fulfill his functions of “research, education, prevention, diagnosis, prescription, treatment, and evaluation in community dental health care.”