Oral Health Attitudes and Practices Among a German Mexican Mennonite Farmworker Community

Advancing the Health of Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers in the United States: Identifying Gaps in the Existing Literature, 2021

There are profound health inequities for agricultural workers. We sought to assess the literature on migrant and seasonal farmworker health with an eye toward health promotion interventions, special populations, use of community health workers (CHWs), and technology. We conducted a systematic mapping review by searching five databases in March 2021. Using quantitative content analysis after establishing interrater reliability, we coded titles and abstracts to assess 13 topics and six characteristics of the research such as its focus on health promotion, use of technology, and inclusion of CHWs. We identified 1,083 records. Just 8.2% of records described or evaluated a health promotion effort to intervene in farmworker well-being and even fewer (4.2%) examined unique populations of farmworkers such as indigenous farmworkers (n = 11) or sexual minority farmworkers (n = 1). A small body of literature focused on the role of CHWs or promotores most frequently described their role in implementing health interventions. The literature on farmworker health has gaps regarding health promotion interventions, special populations, and integration of CHWs into research projects. We offer suggestions to fill in identified gaps in the literature.

Oral health knowledge and psychological determinants of oral health behavior of nursing students

This survey examined the oral health knowledge and psychological determinants of oral health behavior of 1019 undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students. Overall, most of the students perceived their oral health to be average, and their flossing and dental visiting frequencies were inadequate. Moreover, the students' oral health knowledge was suboptimal, regardless of the type of study, and it was not significantly associated with oral health behavior. Binary logistic regression showed that toothbrushing self-efficacy and the type of study were both significantly associated with toothbrushing behavior. Furthermore, flossing self-efficacy and dental visiting self-efficacy were both significantly associated with flossing and dental visiting behaviors, respectively.

Development of a food frequency questionnaire for toddlers of Low-German-Speaking Mennonites from Mexico

PURPOSE

Little is known about dietary intakes in toddlers of Low-German-Speaking Mennonites from Mexico, although some of these toddlers might be at risk for nutritional deficiencies. A 97-item, culturally sensitive, interviewer-administered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was developed and validated for health professionals to assess dietary intake in these children aged 12 to 36 months.

METHODS

Cultural foods on the FFQ were determined via focus groups; a pilot study tested content and formatting. The FFQ was administered to parents/caregivers of 22 toddlers in a southern Ontario community of Low-German-Speaking Mennonites from Mexico. Validity was determined by comparing nutrient intakes from the FFQ and from the 24-hour recalls, using Bland-Altman plots, Pearson correlations, and Student's t-tests. Test-retest reliability was compared between two FFQ administrations (n=14) one month apart, via intraclass correlations (ICCs).

RESULTS

Bland-Altman plots showed good agreement between the FFQ and the 24-hour recall; Pearson correlations between methods were significant for protein, folate, calcium, and caffeine. Student's t-tests were not significantly different between methods for 11 of 12 nutrients. Test-retest reliability was good on the basis of acceptable ICC for eight of 12 nutrients.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of nutrient inadequacies was low, except for folate. These results are promising for implementation of a simple, quick, culturally sensitive FFQ with the potential to provide reliable estimates of mean intakes in toddlers of Low-German-Speaking Mennonites from Mexico.