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330755
Head Start Preschool Home Visitors Show Willingness to Change Habits Related to Drinking Fluoridated Community Water


Monday, November 2, 2015

Maureen Harrington, MPH, Pacific Center for Special Care, University of the Pacific School of Dentistry, San Francisco, CA
Paul Glassman, DDS, MA, MBA, Pacific Center for Special Care, University of the Pacific School of Dentistry, San Francisco, CA
Maysa Namakian, MPH, Department of Dental Practice, University of the Pacific School of Dentistry, San Francisco, CA
Jesse Harrison-Noonan, BS, Pacific Center for Special Care, University of the Pacific School of Dentistry, San Francisco, CA
The use of fluoridated water among low-income, immigrant communities with children enrolled in Head Start preschool is oftentimes ignored or not addressed during health interviews and personal prevention practice discussions with families.  Family advocates and home visitors employed with Head Start are in an important position to influence and support families to adopt healthy behaviors.  Interviews with family advocates and home visitors indicate that despite education addressing the importance of using fluoridated water, their own biases and misconceptions of community water safety impede effective communication with families.  This study discusses the creation of a customized education plan for the family advocates and home visitors and analysis of interview data obtained post-intervention.  Common themes among the interviewees indicate lack of trust of the water safety.  A second educational intervention and subsequent interview addressing the ongoing showed a willingness to change their own drinking habits to include CW use and more intentional discussions with families to do the same.   

Learning Areas:

Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
Describe results of interviews with family advocates and home visitors serving Head Start enrolled families to increase the use of fluoridated community water.

Keyword(s): Child Health Promotion, Low-Income

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I completed the study as a doctoral student and it is important information to know when addressing Early Childhood Caries.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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