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Oral health literacy levels among a low‐income WIC population
Author(s) -
Lee Jessica Y.,
Divaris Kimon,
Baker A. Diane,
Rozier R. Gary,
Lee ShoouYih D.,
Vann Jr William F.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of public health dentistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1752-7325
pISSN - 0022-4006
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-7325.2011.00244.x
Subject(s) - chapel , public health , medicine , library science , dentistry , history , nursing , art history , computer science
Objectives: To determine oral health literacy (OHL) levels and explore potential racial differences in a low‐income population. Methods: This was a cross‐sectional study of caregiver/child dyads that completed a structured 30‐minute in‐person interview conducted by two trained interviewers in seven counties in North Carolina. Sociodemographic, OHL, and dental health‐related data were collected. OHL was measured with a dental word recognition test [Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Dentistry (REALD‐30)]. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate methods were used to examine the distribution of OHL and explore racial differences. Results: Of 1,658 eligible subjects, 1,405 (85 percent) participated and completed the interviews. The analytic sample ( N = 1,280) had mean age 26.5 (standard deviation = 6.9) years with 60 percent having a high school degree or less. OHL varied between racial groups as follows: Whites – mean score = 17.4 (SE = 0.2); African‐American (AA) – mean score = 15.3 [standard error (SE) = 0.2]; American Indian (AI) – mean score = 13.7 (SE = 0.3). Multiple linear regression revealed that after controlling for education, county of residence, age, and Hispanic ethnicity, Whites had 2.0 points (95 percent CI = 1.4, 2.6) higher adjusted REALD‐30 score versus AA and AI. Conclusions: Differences in OHL levels between racial groups persisted after adjusting for education and sociodemographic characteristics.