A storytelling intervention reduces childhood caries risk behaviors among American Indian and Alaska Native mothers in Northern California

Nishtam Niwiipitan (My First Teeth): Oral Health Digital Stories from Urban Indigenous Parents

PURPOSE

To develop oral health-related digital story videos through interviews with Indigenous parents who shared their experiences in dealing with early childhood caries (ECC) in their children.

METHODS

Indigenous parents in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, were recruited from community programs from October to December 2019 as part of the Nishtam Niwiipitan (My First Teeth), a community-based participatory research study that builds on an ECC intervention. A twofold qualitative narrative approach to data collection was used: 1) interviewing participants and creating digital stories and 2) taking part in the postfilming feedback interviews. Participants were interviewed via video in a semistructured format sharing their experiences and attitudes about caring for children with ECC and the challenges faced seeking dental care for the disease. The stories were drawn from parents in 3 predetermined groups: those with 1) children who had undergone dental surgery under general anesthesia, 2) children who had received silver diamine fluoride as an alternative to surgery to manage ECC, and 3) caries-free children. Prior to editing, the narrated stories were transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically. The postfilming interview transcripts were also analyzed and coded for key themes.

RESULTS

Six parents and 1 grandparent, all of whom self-identified as Indigenous (First Nations or Métis) and cared for children aged <6 y, created the digital stories. Three key themes emerged from the postfilming interviews: ability to share, ability to help, and ability to change. Participants felt important, optimistic, and motivated throughout the process of making their digital stories.

CONCLUSION

Digital storytelling offered First Nations and Métis parents a unique opportunity to share their experiences caring for children with ECC with the wider public. These videos can be incorporated into oral health promotion and ECC intervention programs as a culturally appropriate method for reaching Indigenous families.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER STATEMENT

The use and development of digital storytelling for oral health promotion have great potential for spreading awareness and sharing knowledge with Indigenous parents/caregivers about their children's oral health and care practices. This health promotion tool is congruent with Indigenous ways of knowing, as Indigenous communities have a long tradition of oral history. The videos produced for this study will assist with oral health promotion efforts to address the high rates of early childhood caries in Indigenous communities in Canada.

Community-based sugar-sweetened beverage intervention associated with short-term improvements in self-rated oral health

OBJECTIVES

To assess the efficacy of a community-based childhood obesity prevention intervention targeting Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption on self-rated oral health among children and their parents/caregivers.

METHODS

This study is a secondary analysis of data from a pilot site-randomized intervention (H₂ GO!) targeting SSB consumption and obesity risk among children. The 6-week SSB behavioural intervention was implemented in two Massachusetts Boys and Girls Club sites that were matched for size and racial/ethnic composition. Children ages 9-12 years and their parents/caregivers were eligible to participate. Data on self-rated oral health and sociodemographics were obtained via self-report surveys at baseline, 2 and 6 months. Generalized linear mixed regression models were used to estimate 2- and 6-month change in oral health associated with the intervention.

RESULTS

Data are from 100 child participants (46% female; 38% Black, 20% Hispanic, 13% White, 12% Multiracial, 11% Asian) and 87 parent participants (78.2% female; 37.9% Hispanic, 29.9% Black, 14.9% Asian, 10.3% White). At baseline, 47% of child participants rated their oral health as good, followed by very good (32%), fair (11%) and excellent (10%). Among parents, 46.3% rated their oral health as good, followed by very good (29.3%), excellent (9.8%), fair (9.7%) and poor (4.9%). The intervention was associated with 2- and 6-month improvements in child participants' mean self-rated oral health scores (β = 0.78; 95% CI: 0.48, 1.087; P < .001; β = 0.98; 95% CI: 0.61, 1.34; P < .001, respectively) and with 2-month improvements in parent participants' mean self-rated oral health (β = 0.42; 95% CI: 0.016, 0.82; P = .042).

CONCLUSION

Short-term improvements in oral health among children and their parents/caregivers were observed among those participating in a SSB behavioural intervention. Community-based behavioural programmes targeting SSB consumption may be a promising approach to promote oral health as well as prevent childhood obesity.