Abstract
BackgroundThis report is presenting the association of maternal acculturation, measured by preferred language, and oral health-related psychosocial measures in an urban Latino population.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted with 100 mother-child dyads from the Dental Center at the Children’s Hospital Colorado, the University of Colorado. A portion of Basic Research Factors Questionnaire capturing information about parental dental knowledge, attitudes, behavior and psychosocial measures was used to collect data from the participating mothers. Descriptive statistics were calculated for demographics and psychosocial measures by acculturation. A univariate linear regression model was performed for each measure by preferred language for primary analysis followed by adjusted model adjusting for parent’s education.ResultsThe mean age of the children was 3.99 years (SD = 1.11), and that of the mother was 29.54 years (SD = 9.62). Dental caries, measured as dmfs, was significantly higher in children of Spanish-speaking mothers compared to children of English-speaking mothers. English-speaking mothers had higher mean scores of oral health knowledge, oral health behaviors, knowledge on dental utilization, self-efficacy, and Oral Health Locus of Control as compared to Spanish-speaking mothers. Univariate analysis demonstrated significant association for preference for Spanish language with knowledge on dental utilization, maternal self-efficacy, perceived susceptibility and perceived barriers. The effect of language was attenuated, but significant, for each of these variables after adjusting for parent’s education.ConclusionThis study reported that higher acculturation measured by a preference for the English language had a positive association with oral health outcomes in children. Spanish-speaking mothers perceived that their children were less susceptible to caries. Additionally, they perceived barriers in visiting the dentist for preventive visits.
Highlights
This report is presenting the association of maternal acculturation, measured by preferred language, and oral health-related psychosocial measures in an urban Latino population
Length of stay, language spoken at home, and social networks may influence the level of acculturation for an individual or a Tiwari et al BMC Oral Health (2018) 18:67 family [4, 5]
Educational level, preferred language, and level of dental knowledge of the social networks are associated with a higher level of acculturation and, in turn, with the utilization of dental health services [6]
Summary
This report is presenting the association of maternal acculturation, measured by preferred language, and oral health-related psychosocial measures in an urban Latino population. According to one theoretical framework, migration may cause psychosocial distress or loss of social support, resulting in a new behavioral environment that could be associated with the level of acculturation for an individual [3]. The framework presented by Fox et al describes how socioeconomic conditions of migrant families may influence higher assimilation into the host culture, thereby resulting in higher levels of acculturation [3]. Length of stay, language spoken at home, and social networks may influence the level of acculturation for an individual or a Tiwari et al BMC Oral Health (2018) 18:67 family [4, 5]. Educational level, preferred language, and level of dental knowledge of the social networks are associated with a higher level of acculturation and, in turn, with the utilization of dental health services [6]
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