title: Analysis of adolescents' beliefs about the outcome of using dental floss and drinking non-sugared mineral water.
abstract: Using an expectancy value approach, personal and normative beliefs about the outcome of using dental floss and drinking non-sugared mineral water were studied in a sample of 970 15-year-old adolescents in the county of Hordaland in Norway. The data stem from a survey performed in October 1992. A detailed analysis of these beliefs provides information about which of them should be targeted in a persuasive communication directed at changing behavior. The adolescents evaluated six outcomes of each behavior in terms of how much they wanted or feared them, and rated the probability of each outcomes happening. The adolescents also rated the probability that four significant referents would approve the performance of each behavior and how much they valued the approval of each referent. Subjects with relatively strong and relatively weak intentions to use dental floss and to drink non-sugared mineral water (intenders and non-intenders) were compared with respect to their scores on each measure. A one-way analysis of variance showed consistent differences between intenders and non-intenders. Intenders were more likely to believe that the specified behaviors would result in positive outcomes and they evaluated these outcomes as more desirable than non-intenders. Intenders believed their referens, in particular dentists and parents, to be more concerned about whether or not to perform the specified behaviors than non-intenders. The most promising candidates for persuasive communication among behavioral beliefs with respect to the specified behaviors appeared to be reduced tooth decay and several non, health beliefs in terms of immediate social and sensory concerns.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Astrøm
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rise
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D001628:Beverages; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000517:prevention & control; D003742:Dental Devices, Home Care; D003812:Dentist-Patient Relations; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008900:Mineral Waters; D009042:Motivation; D009664:Norway; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010565:Persuasive Communication; D011336:Probability; D012677:Sensation; D012737:Sex Factors; D012931:Social Environment
chemical_list: D008900:Mineral Waters