The purpose of this project is to design and test strategies to promote adherence to a preventive dental regimen. The proposed research differs from previous work that focused on the Health Belief Model as a conceptual framework; instead, we will rely on Social Learning Theory (SLT) as a source of strategies for promoting adherence. To that end, the research will involve two phases. In phase 1, we will examine relationships between predictor variables drawn from SLT and subjects' normal routines of dental behavior (i.e. flossing and brushing). In a prospective design, older-than-average college students (N=120) will be asked to complete various SLT measures in structured interviews and will record their dental hygiene behaviors over a three-month period. SLT variables found to discriminate between subjects with low vs. high levels of hygiene performance will be systematically modified in phase 2, involving young adults who perform dental behaviors at an initially low level. After pilot studies are conducted to develop strategies to change social learning factors (e.g. minimizing barriers; increasing self-efficacy), a factorial experiment will be conducted with 125 subjects. In a 2 X 2 + 1 design, subjects will be randomly assigned to either a control condition or to one of four interventions varying the presence or absence of a) health education information and b) behavioral strategies intended to promote adherence. Subjects will perform a dental hygiene regimen and measures will include self-monitoring records of adherence, amount of floss used, plaque control and evidence of periodontal disease collected at intervals over a six-month period. The ultimate objective of this reaearch is two-fold: 1) to design strategies that can be used by dental health professionals to increase adherence and thus reduce the costs of periodontal disease; and 2) to test the utility of a Social Learning Theory model of regimen adherence.
| McCaul, K D; Glasgow, R E; O'Neill, H K (1992) The problem of creating habits: establishing health-protective dental behaviors. Health Psychol 11:101-10 |
| McCaul, K D; Glasgow, R E; Gustafson, C (1985) Predicting levels of preventive dental behaviors. J Am Dent Assoc 111:601-5 |
