Sociodemographic factors associated with pregnant women's level of knowledge about oral health.

Wander Barbieri,Karine Laura Cortellazzi,Stela Verzinhasse Peres,Carla De Britto Pereira,João Peres Neto,Maria Da Luz Rosário De Sousa

doi:10.1590/s1679-45082018ao4079

Abstract

ABSTRACTObjectiveTo evaluate knowledge on oral health and associated sociodemographic factors in pregnant women.MethodsA cross-sectional study with a sample of 195 pregnant women seen at the Primary Care Unit Paraisópolis I, in São Paulo (SP), Brazil. For statistical analysis, χ2 or Fisher's exact test and multiple logistic regression were used. A significance level of 5% was used in all analyses.ResultsSchooling level equal to or greater than 8 years and having one or two children were associated with an adequate knowledge about oral health.ConclusionOral health promotion strategies during prenatal care should take into account sociodemographic aspects.

Highlights

The relation between social and health conditions of the populations has been investigated in the literature for some years.[1,2,3,4,5] Acknowledging socioeconomic inequalities as determinants of increasing health inequities, as well as identifying the magnitude of these inequalities is essential for promotion of public policies that can reduce these differences.[3]
We developed a score given by the sum of the answers to the questions, where each correct answer was equal to one point
According to table 1, 68.2% of pregnant women had over 8 years of schooling

Summary

Introduction

The relation between social and health conditions of the populations has been investigated in the literature for some years.[1,2,3,4,5] Acknowledging socioeconomic inequalities as determinants of increasing health inequities, as well as identifying the magnitude of these inequalities is essential for promotion of public policies that can reduce these differences.[3]. Barbieri W, Peres SV, Pereira CB, Peres Neto J, Sousa ML, Cortellazzi KL of schooling and perception of the need for treatment influence the attainment of knowledge and health care.[6] Individuals with greater social deprivation have fatalistic beliefs about their health and less awareness of the need for care. Many studies investigating how social determinants affect health have permeated the scientific literature for a number of years, aiming to understand how oral diseases and habits relate with the social and economic conditions of the population.[1,4,5,8,9,10,11] Oral health conditions derive from several factors, including poor income distribution, unemployment, low schooling and inadequate dental services. With regard to family income, scientific evidence shows that low family income is linked to poorer perception of one’s oral condition, and the lower the income, the lower the proportion of people who have access to dental services.[1,12]

Methods

Results

Conclusion