Effective Factors on Oral Health-Promoting Behaviors among Elementary School Students Based on BASNEF Model

Oral diseases are the most common diseases in the world, and among them, tooth decay is the most common problem. The aim of this study was to determine the effective factors on oral health-promoting behaviors among elementary school students of Baft based on BASNEF Model in 2015.
This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 200 elementary school students who were selected using multistage random sampling method. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire including 62 questions consisted of two parts: demographic information and constructs of BASNEF model (attitude, subjective norms, behavioral intention, enabling factors, and behaviors). Data were analyzed using SPSS 16.
Score of oral health-promoting behaviors in 74% of the students was moderate and in 20% of the students was good. Statistically significant relationship was observed between oral health-promoting behaviors of the students and class grades (P=0.004), mother's education (P=0.004), father's education (P=0.034), and father's occupation (P=0.007). Among the constructs of BASNEF model, enabling factors (β=0.511) and then behavioral intentions (β=0.426) were the strongest predicting factors of oral health behavior.
According to the obtained results, enabling factors were the most effective constructs of oral health-promoting behaviors; therefore, oral health promoters are recommended to focus on this issue.