Predicting the Performance of Dental Hygiene Behaviors: An Examination of the Fishbein and Ajzen Model and Self‐Efficacy Expectations1

Abstract

This study examined the value of the Fishbein and Ajzen model of behavioral intentions and Bandura's concept of self‐efficacy expectations as prospective predictors of the dental hygiene behaviors of young adults. All participants (73 males and 58 females) completed self‐report measures of the predictor variables and 60% of that group (N = 77) then recorded brushing and flossing behaviors over a four‐week period. The Fishbein and Ajzen model accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in intentions to brush (R2= .32) and intentions to floss (R2= .30). Intentions were in turn related to self‐monitoring records of brushing and flossing frequency (rs= .52 and .61). Introducing self‐efficacy expectations into the Fishbein and Ajzen model failed to improve the prediction of brushing and flossing frequency. However, self‐efficacy was predictive of behavioral intentions, adding significantly to the variance accounted for by the attitudinal and subjective norm components of the Fishbein and Ajzen model. These data suggest that self‐efficacy expectations are important in understanding protective health behaviors and that the inclusion of a self‐efficacy component in the Fishbein and Ajzen model deserves consideration.