A brief intervention changing oral self-care, self-efficacy, and self-monitoring

• Published in: British journal of health psychology Vol. 20; no. 1; pp. 56 - 67
• Main Authors: Schwarzer, Ralf, Antoniuk, Agata, Gholami, Maryam
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.02.2015; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Action control; Adolescent girls; Adult; Brief interventions; College students; Dental floss; dental flossing; Efficacy; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Health Behavior; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Indirect effects; Intervention; Male; Motivation; Oral health; Oral Hygiene - methods; Oral Hygiene - statistics & numerical data; oral self-care; Self care; Self Care - methods; Self Care - statistics & numerical data; Self Efficacy; self-monitoring; self-regulation; Students - statistics & numerical data; Young Adult; oral self-care; self-regulation; action control; self-monitoring; dental flossing; self-efficacy
• ISSN: 1359-107X; 2044-8287; 2044-8287
• DOI: 10.1111/bjhp.12091

Background and aim The roles of self‐efficacy and self‐monitoring as proximal predictors of dental flossing frequency are studied in the context of an oral health intervention. Materials and methods A study among 287 university students, aged 19 to 26 years, compared an intervention group that received a brief self‐regulatory treatment, with a passive and an active control group. Dental flossing, self‐efficacy, and self‐monitoring were assessed at baseline and 3 weeks later. Results The intervention led to an increase in dental flossing regardless of experimental condition. However, treatment‐specific gains were documented for self‐efficacy and self‐monitoring. Moreover, changes in the latter two served as mediators in a path model, linking the intervention with subsequent dental flossing and yielding significant indirect effects. Conclusions Self‐efficacy and self‐monitoring play a mediating role in facilitating dental flossing. Interventions that aim at an improvement in oral self‐care should consider using these constructs. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? The adoption and maintenance of oral self‐care can be facilitated by a number of social‐cognitive variables. Interventions that include planning, action control, or self‐efficacy components have been shown to improve dental flossing. In one recent study on flossing in adolescent girls, planning intervention effects were mediated by self‐efficacy. What does this study add? Self‐monitoring is associated with better oral self‐care. A 10‐min intervention improves self‐efficacy and self‐monitoring. Self‐efficacy and self‐monitoring operate as mediators between treatment and flossing.