The Effect of Educational Intervention in Changing Mother's Attitudes, Perceived Self-Efficacy and Perceived Barriers Regarding Oral Health of Preschool Children

Due to the necessity of oral health in the preschool children and incorrect beliefs of mothers and more perceived barriers to perform it, this research was performed to study the effect of education intervention in changing mothers’ attitudes, perceived self-efficacy and perceived barriers regarding oral health of preschool children. In this quasi-experimental study 120 female preschool children from district 7 of Tehran city were selected by one stage cluster sampling from each school and then their mothers were included in the study. A researcher-made questionnaire was designed and validated by researchers for assessing mothers’ self-efficacy, perceived barriers and attitudes regarding oral health among preschool children. Two test (intervention) and control groups completed the questionnaire before educational intervention. Based on the pre-test results the educational intervention was designed and implemented in 4 sessions (each 45 minutes) for mothers in test group. Both groups were followed up one month after the intervention and then completed questionnaires. Data was analyzed by independent sample t-tests and student’s t test for paired sample through SPSS16. Significant differences were observed in the mean score of attitude (p=0.001), perceived self-efficacy (p=0.011) and perceived barriers (p<0.0001) in the intervention group as compared to the control group. Educational intervention may reduce perceived barriers to oral health among mothers having pre-school children regarding oral health and increase their perceived self-efficacy and positive attitude.