Web-based oral health promotion program for older adults: Development and preliminary evaluation.
OBJECTIVE
This study reports on the impact evaluation of a Web-based oral health promotion programme aimed at improving the oral health knowledge, attitudes, practices and self-efficacy of independent-living older adults from Melbourne, Australia.


METHODS
With ethics approval from the University of Melbourne, a convenience sample of volunteers 55 years or older was invited to participate in a study to test a web-based oral health promotion program. Consenting volunteers were asked to undergo a structured interview as part of the pre-intervention data collection. The intervention was based on the ORHIS (Oral Health Information Seminars/Sheets) Model and involved computer interaction with six oral health presentations, with no direct oral health professional input. A one group pre-test-post-test quasi-experimental design was chosen to evaluate the intervention. A series of paired t-tests were used to compare pre-test with post-test results.


RESULTS
Forty-seven active, independent-living older adults participated in this evaluation. After the intervention participants responded with higher levels of achievement than before participating in this Web-based oral health program. Participants showed significant improvements in oral health attitudes (4.10 vs. 4.94; p<0.01), knowledge (18.37 vs. 23.83; p<0.0001), and self-efficacy (84.37 vs.89.23; p<0.01), as well as, self-reported oral hygiene practices (i.e., frequency of use of dental floss) (p<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The e-ORHIS approach was successful in improving oral health knowledge, attitudes and self-efficacy. As such, it represents a helpful approach for the design of (oral) health interventions in older adults. Further evaluation with a larger sample is required to test the long-term impact including the economic evaluation of the e-ORHIS approach.
Oral Health Cooperative Research Centre, Melbourne Dental School, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia. Electronic address: r.marino@unimelb.edu.au.
Rodrigo J
RJ
Mariño
Oral Health Cooperative Research Centre, Melbourne Dental School, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia.
Parul
P
Marwaha
Melbourne Dental School, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia.
Su-Yan
SY
Barrow
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009909:Oral Health / Q000193:education*; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000193:education*
Health promotion; Older adults; Oral health; Web-based