Addressing Oral Health Literacy among Mexican Immigrants

描述（申请人提供）：拉丁裔移民是美国增长最快和最大的少数族裔群体，2010年占全国人口的16%，预计到2050年将占30%。1，2 5岁或以下的拉丁裔儿童，以及低收入家庭或农村地区的墨西哥裔儿童，在所有种族/民族群体中，拉丁美洲人的幼儿龋齿发病率最高，仅次于美洲土著人。3 -7拉丁美洲人是所有种族/民族群体中牙齿使用率最低的群体之一，墨西哥裔美国人在所有拉丁裔群体中使用率最低。8 -10保持口腔健康需要理解健康信息并采取行动的能力，以及导航牙科保健的能力;换句话说，适当水平的口腔健康素养（OHL）。11，12在墨西哥移民家庭中，通过适当的框架教育，在他们感到安全和受尊重的环境中，如英语作为第二语言（ESL）课程，解决OHL是一个新兴的牙科公共卫生优先事项。14个ESL班提供了一个理想的环境，以促进OHL新来港定居的父母和高风险的龋齿家庭，特别是由于ESL课堂环境享有良好的安全和信任声誉。16- 18在开发OHL课程用于为拉丁美洲人服务的ESL课程之前，首先有必要了解OHL在这一人群中的确切构成。目前对口腔疾病预防的理解，口腔健康信息的来源和获取，使用口腔健康信息获得专业牙科护理的经验和能力，以及对牙科健康服务的理解和看法？我们建议进行人种学研究，以调查这些问题，墨西哥移民家庭之间的口腔健康差异的基础。拟议的研究是第一个和重要的形成阶段的研究计划，重点是口腔健康的差距和OHL。它将为开发适当框架的核心OHL课程提供基础，旨在帮助墨西哥移民更好地浏览牙科保健系统。我们将在ESL课程中评估本课程的基础项目，以便为下一阶段的研究进行改进。目前提议的形成性研究的总体目标是为干预措施奠定基础，以增强拉丁裔移民父母和家庭对牙科系统的理解和导航（OHL）技能。具体目标是1）定义旧金山湾区墨西哥移民的OHL规模（即进行人种学研究-观察，个人和团体访谈-描述口腔健康差异的经验，现有的口腔健康理解和系统导航）;以及2）为OHL课程开发基础项目，以便在ESL集水区和环境中提供（目前在十（10）ESL类服务墨西哥移民的基本项目;观察他们与未来课程的这些基本方面的参与，并与成人ESL学生进行10组访谈，了解他们对每个项目的看法）。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The fastest-growing and largest minority group in the United States, Latino immigrants accounted for 16% of the nation's population in 2010 and are projected to represent 30% by 2050.1,2 Latino children age 5 or under, and those of Mexican origin, in low-income families or in rural locations, have the highest rates of early childhood caries of any racial/ethnic groups, second only to Native Americans.3-7 Latinos have one of the lowest dental utilization rates of all ethnic/racial groups, with Mexican-Americans having the lowest utilization rate of all Latino groups.8-10 Maintaining oral health requires the ability to understand and act on health information and to navigate dental healthcare; in other words, an adequate level of Oral Health Literacy (OHL).11,12 Addressing OHL in Mexican immigrant families with appropriately framed education in contexts where they feel safe and respected, such as English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, is an emerging dental public health priority.13,14 ESL classes present an ideal environment to promote OHL to newly arrived immigrant parents and families at high risk for dental caries, particularly due to the well-established safe and trusting reputation of ESL classroom environments.16-18 Prior to developing OHL curriculum for use in ESL classes serving Latinos, it is first necessary to understand what exactly constitutes OHL in this population. What are current understandings of oral disease prevention, sources of and access to oral health information, experiences with and ability to use oral health information to access professional dental care, and understandings and perceptions of dental health services? We propose to conduct ethnographic research to investigate these questions which underpin oral health disparities among Mexican immigrant families. The proposed study is the first and vital formative stage of a research program focused on oral health disparities and OHL. It will provide the foundation for the development of appropriately framed core OHL curriculum aimed at assisting Mexican immigrants to better navigate the dental care system. We will evaluate foundational items of this curriculum in ESL classes in order to refine it for the next stage of research. The overall goal of the currently proposed formative study is to establish the foundation for an intervention to enhance dental system understanding and navigational (OHL) skills among Latino immigrant parents and families. The Specific Aims are to 1) Define the dimensions of OHL for SF Bay Area Mexican immigrants (i.e. conduct ethnographic research - observations, individual and group interviews - to describe experiences of oral health disparities, existing oral health understandings and system navigation); and 2) Develop foundational items for an OHL curriculum for delivery in ESL catchment areas and settings (present foundational items in ten (10) ESL classes serving Mexican immigrants; observe their engagement with these foundational aspects of a future curriculum and conduct 10 group interviews with adult ESL students for their views about each item).