Factors Associated with Health Literacy, Self-Efficacy, Social Support, and Oral Health Care Behaviors Among Elderly in Northern Border Community Thailand

Figures & data

Table 1 Demographic Characteristics of Elderly (N=406)

Characteristics	n	%
Gender
Male	193	47.5
Female	213	52.5
Age
60–70 years	315	77.6
71–80 years	91	22.4
Min = 60, Max = 77, mean (SD) = 66.97 (4.336)
Education
No	200	49.3
Yes	206	50.7
Marital status
Single/widowed/divorced/separated	107	26.4
Married	299	73.6
Working status
Not working	174	43.8
Currently working	228	56.2
Financial status
Insufficient	206	50.7
Sufficient	200	49.3
Smoking
No	267	65.8
Yes	139	34.2
Alcohol drinking
No	217	53.4
Yes	189	46.6
Incurrent disease
No	203	50.0
Yes	203	50.0
Hypertension (HT) (yes)	115	28.3
Stress (yes)	76	18.7
Diabetes mellitus (DM) (yes)	69	17.0
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) (yes)	27	6.7
Hyperlipidemia (yes)	20	4.9
Stroke (yes)	15	3.7
Coronary heart disease (CHD) (yes)	6	1.5
Tuberculosis	5	1.2
Receiving information about dental health
No	215	53.0
Yes	191	47.0
By health volunteer (yes)	175	43.1
By public health officer (yes)	167	41.1
By family (yes)	24	5.9
By online media (yes)	23	5.7

Table 2 Oral Health Characteristics of Elderly (N=406)

Characteristics	n	%
Have had dental services
No	254	62.6
Yes	152	37.4
When did you last visit the dentist? (N=152)
≤ 6 month	16	10.5
6–12 month	45	29.7
≥ 1 year	91	59.8
Have you had any problems? (N=152)
Pull a tooth	70	46.0
Put false tooth	31	20.4
Clean and polish	22	14.4
Fillings	19	12.6
Dental pain	10	6.6
Why did you go to the dentist? (N=152)
Medical Checkup	43	28.3
Illnesses symptom	109	71.7

Table 3 Oral Health Literacy, Self-Efficacy, Social Support and Oral Health Care Behaviors of Elderly (N=406)

Variables	n	%
Oral health Literacy
Inadequate Functional Health literacy (scores ≤ 21)	345	85.0
Marginal Functional Health literacy (scores of 22–29)	54	13.3
Adequate Functional Health literacy (scores ≥ 30)	7	1.7
Min = 11, Max = 31, mean (SD) = 17.63 (3.918)
Self-efficacy about oral health
Low level (scores ≤ 17)	186	45.8
Moderate level (scores of 18–23)	213	52.5
High level (scores ≥24)	7	1.7
Min = 13, Max = 24, mean (SD) = 17.75 (2.285)
Social support about oral health
Low level (scores ≤ 17)	26	6.4
Moderate level (scores of 18–23)	373	91.9
High level (scores ≥24)	7	1.7
Min = 14, Max = 25, mean (SD) = 20.11 (1.580)
Oral health care behaviors
Low level (scores ≤ 20)	175	43.1
Moderate level (scores of 21–27)	215	53.0
High level (scores ≥28)	16	3.9
Min = 14, Max = 29, mean (SD) = 21.16 (3.207)

Table 4 Factors Associated with Oral Health Care Behaviors Among Elderly by Linear Regression (N=406)

Variable	Univariable Analysis			Multivariable Analysis
	B	Beta	Sig.	B	Beta	Sig.
Female	−0.470	−0.073	0.140
Age (years)	−0.002	−0.002	0.960
Married	−0.350	−0.048	0.333
Getting an education	−0.074	−0.012	0.817
Currently working	−0.081	−0.012	0.802
Sufficient income	0.862	0.135	0.007*
Incurrent disease	−1.842	−0.288	<0.001*
Smoking	−0.915	−0.135	0.006*
Alcohol drinking	−0.918	−0.143	0.004*
Receiving information	0.751	0.117	0.018*
Oral health literacy (scores)	0.523	0.639	<0.001*	0.432	0.528	<0.001*
Self-efficacy (scores)	0.549	0.391	<0.001*	0.122	0.087	0.035*
Social support (scores)	0.882	0.434	<0.001*	0.489	0.241	<0.001*

Note: *Significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).