Table 2.
Mean Values and Item-Total Correlations for Each Question in the Extended Health Belief Model Scale and the Subscales (N=1,010)
| Extended Health Belief Model | Mean (SD) | Item-Total Correlationa |
|---|---|---|
| Perceived Susceptibility | ||
| Most children get cavities. | 3.6 (1.2) | 0.28 |
|
| ||
| My child will probably get cavities in the next few years. | 2.9 (1.2) | 0.25 |
|
| ||
| Children can get cavities as soon as their first tooth comes in. | 3.7 (1.4) | 0.17 |
|
| ||
| Perceived Severity | ||
| Dental problems can be serious for a child. | 4.6 (0.9) | 0.19 |
|
| ||
| Having bad teeth affects a child’s everyday life.* | 4.0 (1.4) | 0.30 |
|
| ||
| Dental problems are as important as other health problems.* | 4.3 (1.1) | 0.35 |
|
| ||
| Perceived Benefits | ||
| My child is unlikely to get cavities… | ||
| if his/her teeth are brushed with fluoride toothpaste twice a day. | 4.2 (1.1) | 0.63 |
|
| ||
| if he/she goes to the dentist for regular check-ups. | 4.3 (1.1) | 0.67 |
|
| ||
| if I keep him/her from eating a lot of sugary foods and drinks. | 4.3 (1.0) | 0.57 |
|
| ||
| if an adult helps brush his/her teeth until at least age 6. | 4.3 (1.1) | 0.62 |
|
| ||
| if a dentist or other care provider puts fluoride varnish on his/her teeth. | 4.1 (1.1) | 0.62 |
|
| ||
| Perceived Barriers | ||
| It’s not easy to make sure that my child’s teeth are brushed with fluoride toothpaste twice a day.* | 1.6 (0.9) | 0.19 |
|
| ||
| It would be hard to take my child to the dentist for regular check-ups. | 2.2 (1.3) | 0.34 |
|
| ||
| It’s hard to keep my child from eating sweet foods and drinks. | 2.9 (1.3) | 0.22 |
|
| ||
| I have trouble making sure that my child’s teeth are brushed the last thing before bed.* | 2.0 (1.2) | 0.22 |
|
| ||
| It’s inconvenient to have fluoride varnish put on my child’s teeth. | 2.4 (1.5) | 0.16 |
|
| ||
| Self-Efficacy | ||
| How sure are you that you can… | ||
| carefully check your child’s teeth and gums every month for spots and problems? | 4.3 (1.0) | 0.53 |
|
| ||
| take your child to the dentist for regular check-ups? | 4.7 (0.7) | 0.44 |
| always use fluoride toothpaste when brushing your child’s teeth? | 4.5 (0.9) | 0.40 |
|
| ||
| make sure that your child does not eat or drink anything other than water after his/her gums and teeth are cleaned at bedtime? | 4.3 (1.0) | 0.55 |
|
| ||
| keep your child from eating frequent sweets (cake, candy)? | 4.1 (1.1) | 0.58 |
|
| ||
| keep your child from putting anything in his/her mouth that has been in someone else’s mouth? | 4.4 (1.0) | 0.51 |
|
| ||
| have fluoride varnish put on your child’s teeth by a dentist or other health care provider? | 4.5 (0.9) | 0.40 |
|
| ||
| keep your child from drinking sugary drinks like soda, pop, or Kool-Aid? | 4.0 (1.1) | 0.57 |
|
| ||
| avoid putting your child to bed with a bottle or sippy cup with anything other than water in it? | 4.5 (1.0) | 0.44 |
|
| ||
| make sure your child’s teeth are brushed twice a day? | 4.7 (0.7) | 0.59 |
|
| ||
| make sure your child’s teeth are brushed before going to bed? | 4.7 (0.7) | 0.60 |
|
| ||
| help your child brush his/her teeth until he/she is at least 6 years old? | 4.4 (1.0) | 0.34 |
|
| ||
| Summary Scores | Mean (SD) | Cronbach’s Alpha |
|
| ||
| HBM - Susceptibility | 3.4 (0.9) | 0.39 |
| HBM - Severity | 4.3 (0.8) | 0.45 |
| HBM - Benefits | 4.3 (0.8) | 0.83 |
| HBM - Barriers | 2.2 (0.7) | 0.43 |
| Self-Efficacy | 4.4 (0.5) | 0.83 |
a
Standardized value.
*
The wording of these items has been revised from what is in the original survey to reflect that the items were reverse coded for analysis.