Culturally sensitive oral health educational materials for older African Americans.
Oral diseases disproportionately affect older Americans from minority populations. Approaches to reducing such disparities include increasing community-based interventions that target vulnerable older adults. To help in developing and implementing such programs, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests using the MAP-IT technique, from a strategic planning guide to address public health issues in the community. This approach served as the method of investigation for the Take Charge of Your Oral Health educational program, a health promotion initiative targeting older African Americans. This paper describes the development and evaluation of the program. A total of 111 African American elders from 7 senior sites in Philadelphia participated in the program. A 6-item pre-test and post-test indicated a significant improvement in mean test scores from baseline (p,.001). The program demonstrated merit in improving oral health knowledge among community-residing, inner city, older African Americans.
Slaughter
Ann
A
Department of Preventive and Restorative Sciences, Community Oral Health Division, University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, PA, USA. yas@pobox.upenn.edu
Evans
Lois K
LK
D001741:Black or African American / Q000193:education*; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003149:Community Dentistry; D054626:Consumer Health Information / Q000592:standards*; D054521:Cultural Competency; D016321:Dental Care for Aged / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000592:standards*; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009909:Oral Health; D015143:Philadelphia; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D040241:Social Marketing; D013664:Teaching Materials; D014481:United States