title: Self-efficacy and self-rated oral health among pregnant aboriginal Australian women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Self-efficacy plays an important role in oral health-related behaviours. There is little known about associations between self-efficacy and subjective oral health among populations at heightened risk of dental disease. This study aimed to determine if low self-efficacy was associated with poor self-rated oral health after adjusting for confounding among a convenience sample of pregnant women.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used self-reported data from 446 Australian women pregnant with an Aboriginal child (age range 14-43 years) to evaluate self-rated oral health, self-efficacy and socio-demographic, psychosocial, social cognitive and risk factors. Hierarchical entry of explanatory variables into logistic regression models estimated prevalence odds ratios (POR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for fair or poor self-rated oral health.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In an unadjusted model, those with low self-efficacy had 2.40 times the odds of rating their oral health as 'fair' or 'poor' (95% CI 1.54-3.74). Addition of socio-demographic factors attenuated the effect of low self-efficacy on poor self-rated oral health by 10 percent (POR 2.19, 95% CI 1.37-3.51). Addition of the psychosocial factors attenuated the odds by 17 percent (POR 2.07, 95% CI 1.28-3.36), while addition of the social cognitive variable fatalism increased the odds by 1 percent (POR 2.42, 95% CI 1.55-3.78). Inclusion of the behavioural risk factor 'not brushing previous day' attenuated the odds by 15 percent (POR 2.11, 95%CI 1.32-3.36). In the final model, which included all covariates, the odds were attenuated by 32 percent (POR 1.80, 95% CI 1.05, 3.08).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Low self-efficacy persisted as a risk indicator for poor self-rated oral health after adjusting for confounding among this vulnerable population.
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia. lisa.jamieson@adelaide.edu.au.
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Jamieson
authors.forename: Eleanor J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: Kaye F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Roberts-Thomson
authors.forename: Herenia P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Lawrence
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Broughton
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007389:Internal-External Control; D009909:Oral Health; D011247:Pregnancy; D037841:Pregnant People; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D012649:Self Concept; D020377:Self Efficacy; D057566:Self Report; D012923:Social Class; D012928:Social Desirability; D012944:Social Support; D013021:South Australia / Q000208:ethnology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000523:psychology; D035862:Vulnerable Populations; D055815:Young Adult