Self-reported poor oral hygiene among in-school adolescents in Zambia
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Dental health is a neglected aspect of adolescent health globally but more so in low-income countries. Secondary analysis using the 2004 Zambia Global School-Based Health Survey (GSHS) was conducted in which we estimated frequencies...
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doaj-2d3f1bd337a740bdae2cfc041637a3ac2020-11-25T01:34:25ZengBMCBMC Research Notes1756-05002011-07-014125510.1186/1756-0500-4-255Self-reported poor oral hygiene among in-school adolescents in ZambiaRudatsikira EmmanuelMuula Adamson SSiziya Seter<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Dental health is a neglected aspect of adolescent health globally but more so in low-income countries. Secondary analysis using the 2004 Zambia Global School-Based Health Survey (GSHS) was conducted in which we estimated frequencies of relevant socio-demographic variables and explored associations between selected explanatory variables and self-reported poor oral hygiene (not cleaning or brushing teeth) within the last 30 days of the completion of questionnaire.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Most of the 2257 respondents were males (53.9%) and went hungry (82.5%). More than 4 in 10 respondents drank alcohol (42.2%) while 37.2% smoked cannabis. Overall 10.0% of the respondents reported to have poor oral hygiene. Male respondents were 7% less likely to report to have poor oral hygiene compared to females. Compared to respondents who never drank alcohol, those who drank alcohol were 27% more likely to report to have poor oral hygiene. Respondents who smoked cannabis were 4% more likely to report to have poor oral hygiene compared to those who did not smoke cannabis. Finally, respondents who went hungry were 35% more likely to report to have poor oral hygiene compared to those who did not go hungry.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Results from this study indicate that female gender, alcohol drinking, cannabis smoking, and going hungry were associated with self-reported poor oral hygiene. The identification of these factors should guide the design and implementation of programs aimed to improve oral health among adolescents.</p> http://www.biomedcentral.com/1756-0500/4/255 |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Rudatsikira Emmanuel Muula Adamson S Siziya Seter |
spellingShingle |
Rudatsikira Emmanuel Muula Adamson S Siziya Seter Self-reported poor oral hygiene among in-school adolescents in Zambia BMC Research Notes |
author_facet |
Rudatsikira Emmanuel Muula Adamson S Siziya Seter |
author_sort |
Rudatsikira Emmanuel |
title |
Self-reported poor oral hygiene among in-school adolescents in Zambia |
title_short |
Self-reported poor oral hygiene among in-school adolescents in Zambia |
title_full |
Self-reported poor oral hygiene among in-school adolescents in Zambia |
title_fullStr |
Self-reported poor oral hygiene among in-school adolescents in Zambia |
title_full_unstemmed |
Self-reported poor oral hygiene among in-school adolescents in Zambia |
title_sort |
self-reported poor oral hygiene among in-school adolescents in zambia |
publisher |
BMC |
series |
BMC Research Notes |
issn |
1756-0500 |
publishDate |
2011-07-01 |
description |
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Dental health is a neglected aspect of adolescent health globally but more so in low-income countries. Secondary analysis using the 2004 Zambia Global School-Based Health Survey (GSHS) was conducted in which we estimated frequencies of relevant socio-demographic variables and explored associations between selected explanatory variables and self-reported poor oral hygiene (not cleaning or brushing teeth) within the last 30 days of the completion of questionnaire.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Most of the 2257 respondents were males (53.9%) and went hungry (82.5%). More than 4 in 10 respondents drank alcohol (42.2%) while 37.2% smoked cannabis. Overall 10.0% of the respondents reported to have poor oral hygiene. Male respondents were 7% less likely to report to have poor oral hygiene compared to females. Compared to respondents who never drank alcohol, those who drank alcohol were 27% more likely to report to have poor oral hygiene. Respondents who smoked cannabis were 4% more likely to report to have poor oral hygiene compared to those who did not smoke cannabis. Finally, respondents who went hungry were 35% more likely to report to have poor oral hygiene compared to those who did not go hungry.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Results from this study indicate that female gender, alcohol drinking, cannabis smoking, and going hungry were associated with self-reported poor oral hygiene. The identification of these factors should guide the design and implementation of programs aimed to improve oral health among adolescents.</p> |
url |
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1756-0500/4/255 |
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