PURPOSE: Asian immigrant and Asian American women are less likely to use oral contraceptives (OCs) and tend to rely on low-efficacy methods of contraception. This contraceptive pattern remains poorly understood, in part, because no theory-driven measurement exists to assess psychosocial determinants essential in explaining behaviors related to OC use in this population. The current study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of a measure of attitudes and subjective norms toward OC use among Korean American women as a first step to determine whether the measure can be used in this population and, potentially, in other Asian ethnic groups. METHODS: The sample consisted of 329 Korean immigrant women living in New York City. The theory of reasoned action guided the development of the measure assessing attitudes and norms. Psychometric evaluation included item analysis, internal consistency estimates of reliability, and construct validity (i.e., factorial, discriminant, and predictive). RESULTS: All item-total correlations were above the recommendation of .30. The Cronbach's alpha for the attitudes and subjective norms measure was .88 and .86, respectively. Exploratory factor analyses revealed four interpretable factors, and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed that the factor structures derived from the exploratory factor analyses fit the data well. Discriminant and predictive validity of the measure were also established. CONCLUSIONS: The study provides support for the validity and reliability of the measure and its use for determining the degree to which Korean immigrant women intend to use OCs.
Adolescent ; Adult ; *Contraceptives, Oral ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Emigrants and Immigrants/psychology ; Female ; *Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; *Intention ; Korea/ethnology ; Middle Aged ; New York City ; Psychometrics/*methods ; Reproducibility of Results ; Surveys and Questionnaires/*standards ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of oral care education on knowledge, attitudes & behavior of caregivers in oral care and oral hygiene for residents in nursing homes. METHODS: In this quasi-experimental study, the intervention group (n=27) of residents received oral care from intervention group caregivers (n=28) who had received 6 weeks of oral care education. The control group (n=27) of residents received usual oral care from control group caregivers (n=26). Data on knowledge, attitude, and behavioral change in oral health care by the caregivers and plaque index & halitosis of the residents were collected. Data were analyzed using SPSS WIN 16.0. RESULTS: 1) Scores on caregivers' knowledge (p<.001) and behavior (p<.001) for oral care were higher in the intervention group 6 and 12 weeks. The caregivers' attitude (p<.001) score for oral care was higher in the intervention group 12 weeks. 2) The plaque index (p=.004) and halitosis (p=.002) of the nursing home residents were lower in the intervention group than the control group at 6 and 12 weeks. CONCLUSION: Oral care education programs for caregivers are effective in improving the oral hygiene of elderly residents in nursing homes through enhancement of caregivers' knowledge, attitude, and behavioral change.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; *Attitude of Health Personnel ; Caregivers/*education ; Dental Care ; Dental Plaque Index ; Female ; Health Education, Dental/*standards ; *Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nursing Homes ; Oral Hygiene/*nursing ; Program Evaluation

Aged ; Dental Health Services ; standards ; Health Services for the Aged ; standards ; Humans ; Nursing Homes ; Oral Health ; Singapore

A sample of 555 students from three geographically and socioculturally different areas within the Southern Highlands Province, between the ages of 12 and 15 years, was examined in June 1995 to assess the oral health status for planning, monitoring and evaluation purposes. The prevalence of dental caries was found to be 57%, with a DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) score of 1.70 (+/- 2.25) with DT, MT and FT scores of 1.47, 0.12 and 0.10 respectively. 54% of students had active caries and 27% had a DMFT score more than 3. Gingivitis was prevalent among students and visible calculus was present in 35% of them. Only 29% were dentally fit and did not need treatment. About 3% needed some form of orthodontic treatment, and endodontic and cosmetic treatment were respectively needed in 3.5% and 2% of the children.
DMF Index ; Dental Care - standards ; Dental Care - standards ; Dental Care - statistics & ; numerical data ; Oral Health - standards ; Population Surveillance