Role of self-efficacy, outcome expectation, and outcome expectancy in promoting oral health behaviors in adolescent girls
نویسندگان
1 Department of Public Health, School of Health, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
2
doi
چکیده
INTRODUCTION: Oral health is a very important issue for different groups, especially adolescents.Social cognitive theory seeks to describe and promote people’s health behaviors in a variety of ways.The aim of this study was to determine the role of self‑efficacy, outcome expectation, and outcomeexpectancy in promoting oral health behaviors in adolescent girls in Shahrekord.METHODS: The present study was performed as an intervention in junior high schools inShahrekord (school year: 2018–2019). Using cluster sampling method, a total of eighty adolescentgirls studying in Shahrekord public schools were selected and randomly divided into two groups ofintervention and control. A researcher‑made questionnaire was used to collect data on demographicvariables, outcome expectation, and outcome expectancy constructs. In addition, a checklist wasused to assess the status of oral health among the participants. Education for the experimental groupwas held in four sessions, each lasting 50–60 min. The data required for the study were collected inthree stages: before the intervention, immediately after, and 2 months after the intervention. UsingSPSS statistical software version 18, the collected data were analyzed through paired t‑test andanalysis of variance via repeating the observations.RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of demographicvariables. Before the intervention, there was no significant difference between the two groups interms of the mean scores of outcome expectation, outcome expectancy, and self‑efficacy; however,after the intervention, there was an increase in the scores of the experimental group (P < 0.001). Twomonths after training, there was also a significant increase in the mean score of oral health behaviorin the experimental group (P < 0.001).CONCLUSION: Training based on perceived self‑efficacy, outcome expectation, and outcomeexpectancy played an important role in creating the desired attitude toward oral health‑promotingbehavior among students.