Predictors of Oral Health Condition among Pregnant Mothers in Rafsanjan City Based on Theory of Planned Behavior in 2016: A Descriptive Study

It is important to observe oral health in the high-risk group of pregnant women because of their and their fetal health. The purpose of this study was to identify the predictors of oral health condition among pregnant mothers in Rafsanjan city based on theory of planned behavior in 2016.

In the present descriptive study, 100 pregnant women in Rafsanjan city were selected by cluster sampling. The data collection tools were a demographic questionnaire, a questionnaire for determining the behavior of oral and dental health and a questionnaire for factors affecting oral and dental health behavior based on the constructs of planned behavior theory. Data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation, one-way variance analysis and multiple linear regression.

 In multiple linear regression analysis, there was a significant relationship between knowledge factors and behavioral intention and family income and the health behavior score of pregnant women (p<0.05). In total, the constructs of the theory of planned behavior explained 22.7% of the changes in the health behavior score of pregnant women.

The results of this study indicated that pregnant women had an undesirable situation in field of health behavior. Therefore, it is recommended that interventions be held based on theory of planned behavior in pregnant women with the aim of improving oral health in health centers.