Amelia Gonzalez

Helen Brown
H&S 490
4 May, 2017
Assignment 3

Effective Health Education & Communication

Part 1: Assess the Health Education Material

a. https://healthfinder.gov/HealthTopics/Category/parenting/doctor-visits/take-
care-of-your-childs-teeth.

UNDERSTANDABILITY

Item
Item Response Options Rating
#

Topic: Content

1 The material makes its purpose completely evident. Disagree=0, Agree=1 1

The material does not include information or content

2 Disagree=0, Agree=1 1
that distracts from its purpose.

Topic: Word Choice & Style

3 The material uses common, everyday language. Disagree=0, Agree=1 1

Medical terms are used only to familiarize audience

4 Disagree=0, Agree=1 1
with the terms. When used, medical terms are defined.

5 The material uses the active voice. Disagree=0, Agree=1 1

Topic: Use of Numbers

 Numbers appearing in the material are clear and easy to Disagree=0, Agree=1, No
6 1
understand. numbers=N/A

The material does not expect the user to perform

7 Disagree=0, Agree=1 1
calculations.

Topic: Organization

The material breaks or chunks information into short Disagree=0, Agree=1, Very
8 1
sections. short material=N/A

Disagree=0, Agree=1, Very

9 The materials sections have informative headers. 1
short material=N/A

10 The material presents information in a logical sequence. Disagree=0, Agree=1 1

11 The material provides a summary. Disagree=0, Agree=1, Very

1
short material=N/A
Item # Item Response Options Rating

Topic: Layout & Design

Topic: Use of Visual Aids

12 The material uses visual cues (e.g., arrows, boxes, Disagree=0, Agree=1,
The material uses visual aids whenever they could make
bullets, bold, larger font, highlighting) to draw attention Video=N/A 1
13 contenttomore easily understood (e.g., illustration of
key points. Disagree=0, Agree=1 0
healthy portion size).

The materials visual aids reinforce rather than distract Disagree=0, Agree=1,
14 0
from the content. No visual aids=N/A

Disagree=0, Agree=1,
15 The materials visual aids have clear titles or captions. 0
No visual aids=N/A

The material uses illustrations and photographs that are Disagree=0, Agree=1,
16 0
clear and uncluttered. No visual aids=N/A

The material uses simple tables with short and clear row Disagree=0, Agree=1,
17 1
and column headings. No tables=N/A
The written health education piece discussed the basics why baby teeth are important to

care for in order to prevent tooth decay. The written health educational piece scored a total

points of 13 out of 17, receiving a understandability score of 76%. The content was solely for

the purpose for caring for babys teeth, prevention for tooth decay, and making dentist visits

regularly. The content doesnt include any information or graphics that would distract the

purpose of the piece. The word choice and style was readable and common in everyday

language for parents to understand. When there were terms that readers may not

understand the piece provided a link to gain more information on the specific topic. For

example, when making sure your child gets enough calcium, it addresses why calcium is

important to include in your diet to make teeth strong and then directs you to a link to

understand what foods contain calcium. There werent any calculations needed and numbers

appeared clearly. Example: Teach your child to brush 2 times a day with fluoride

toothpaste. The organization of information was easily understood by breaking information

into short sections that are important to understand and consider pertaining to babys dental

care. The headers are bolded in a logical sequence on what is tooth decay, how tooth decay

effects child, prevention, risk factors, and how to take action. The layout and design is

acceptable by the material under the subheadings and are in bullets or short sections

making the material easily understandable and not lengthy or boring to read. However, the

written piece does not include any visual aid such as example pictures to reference material.

Which may be helpful for parents to base their reference for examples.

b. https://healthfinder.gov/HealthTopics/Category/parenting/doctor-visits/take-
care-of-your-childs-teeth.

ACTIONABILITY

Item
Item Response Options Rating
#

1
20 The material clearly identifies at least one action Disagree=0, Agree=1
 the user can take.

The material addresses the user directly when

21 Disagree=0, Agree=1 1
describing actions.

The material breaks down any action into

22 Disagree=0, Agree=1 1
manageable, explicit steps.

The material provides a tangible tool (e.g.,

23 menu planners, checklists) whenever it could Disagree=0, Agree=1 1
help the user take action.

The material provides simple instructions or Disagree=0, Agree=1, No

24 1
examples of how to perform calculations. calculations=NA

The material explains how to use the charts, Disagree=0, Agree=1, No charts,
25 N/A
graphs, tables, or diagrams to take actions. graphs, tables, or diagrams=N/A

The material uses visual aids whenever they

26 Disagree=0, Agree=1 0
could make it easier to act on the instructions.

The written health education piece scored a total points of 5 out of 7,

receiving a actionability score of 71%. The written piece included a Take

Action! header with subheading under on steps to take good care of

childrens teeth. The material address parents on what to do as soon as

babys teeth start coming in, when to brush, how to make brushing effective

for children, use fluoride, nutrition, and visit dentist regularly. I think an

important subheading for this piece was What about the cost of dental

visits?. This subheading goes into explaining that parents health insurance

may cover cost and included a link to find a free or low cost care program

near parents. Which is important to include since underprivileged families may

 not have insurance to cover dental fees or arent insured or even have a job to

begin with to afford for childs dental care. The written piece did not include

any charts, graphs, tables, or diagrams to take action or visual aid to make

instructions easier to act upon. Although, it did provide links to further parents

understanding and instructions.

c. http://www.colgate.com/en/us/kids/parents-place/videos.

UNDERSTANDABILITY

Item
Item Response Options Rating
#

Topic: Content

1 The material makes its purpose completely evident. Disagree=0, Agree=1 1

The material does not include information or content

2 Disagree=0, Agree=1 1
that distracts from its purpose.

Topic: Word Choice & Style

3 The material uses common, everyday language. Disagree=0, Agree=1 1

Medical terms are used only to familiarize audience

4 Disagree=0, Agree=1 1
with the terms. When used, medical terms are defined.

5 The material uses the active voice. Disagree=0, Agree=1 1

Topic: Use of Numbers

Numbers appearing in the material are clear and easy to Disagree=0, Agree=1, No
6 1
understand. numbers=N/A
 The material does not expect the user to perform
7 Disagree=0, Agree=1 1
calculations.

Topic: Organization

The material breaks or chunks information into short Disagree=0, Agree=1, Very
8 1
sections. short material=N/A

Disagree=0, Agree=1, Very

9 The materials sections have informative headers. 0
short material=N/A

The material presents information in a logical

10 Disagree=0, Agree=1 1
sequence.

Disagree=0, Agree=1, Very

11 The material provides a summary. 0
short material=N/A

Topic: Layout & Design

The material uses visual cues (e.g., arrows, boxes,

Disagree=0, Agree=1,
12 bullets, bold, larger font, highlighting) to draw attention N/A
Video=N/A
to key points.

Item
Item Response Options Rating
#

Topic: Use of Visual Aids

The material uses visual aids whenever they could make

13 content more easily understood (e.g., illustration of Disagree=0, Agree=1 1
healthy portion size).
 The materials visual aids reinforce rather than distract Disagree=0, Agree=1,
14 1
from the content. No visual aids=N/A

Disagree=0, Agree=1,
15 The materials visual aids have clear titles or captions. 1
No visual aids=N/A

The material uses illustrations and photographs that are Disagree=0, Agree=1,
16 1
clear and uncluttered. No visual aids=N/A

The material uses simple tables with short and clear row Disagree=0, Agree=1,
17 0
and column headings. No tables=N/A

The educational audio-visual piece demonstrated a child brushing her teeth

with help from the Dr. Bunny. This educational visual aid is useful for

children, especially younger children (0-5) due to the video is a cartoon

directed for children entertainment, therefore drawing childrens attention on

how to properly clean their teeth and make brushing fun. This video is easy to

understand for children and parents and easy to follow the step by step

instructions on how to properly brush teeth before going to bed.

The video scored a total points of 14 out of 17, receiving a understandability

score of 82%. The video content was specifically dental basics on how to care

for children teeth. The content made its purpose evident by discussing teeth

hygiene throughout the video and doesnt include any information that would

distract the viewer from the main content. The word choice and style is

common, everyday language, there werent any medical terms used, and

characters were speaking in an active voice. Which worked for my topic for

children since they do not have much knowledge on dental terms. The video

would also be helpful for parents who do not have much knowledge on

children dental caries and have limited English. There wasnt any use of

numbers or calculations only for demonstrating step by step actions for

 brushing teeth. The organization of the material is broken up into sections of

the type of toothbrush to use, when to brush, how- step by step brushing

technique instructions, and when to brush and visit the dentist. The video

could have provided a summery and stressed the importance of brushing

teeth in the morning. The video only mentioned it once towards the end,

which I feel should had been focused on more throughout the video instead at

night brushing. The visual aid material was acceptable by demonstrating

illustrations that connect with the content to make it effective. The

illustrations were also helpful during the step by step techniques for brushing

teeth.

d. http://www.colgate.com/en/us/kids/parents-place/videos.

ACTIONABILITY

Item
Item Response Options Rating
#

The material clearly identifies at least one action

20 Disagree=0, Agree=1 1
the user can take.

The material addresses the user directly when

21 Disagree=0, Agree=1 1
describing actions.

The material breaks down any action into

22 Disagree=0, Agree=1 1
manageable, explicit steps.

The material provides a tangible tool (e.g.,

23 menu planners, checklists) whenever it could Disagree=0, Agree=1 1
help the user take action.

The material provides simple instructions or Disagree=0, Agree=1, No

24 N/A
examples of how to perform calculations. calculations=NA
 The material explains how to use the charts, Disagree=0, Agree=1, No charts,
25 N/A
graphs, tables, or diagrams to take actions. graphs, tables, or diagrams=N/A

The material uses visual aids whenever they

26 Disagree=0, Agree=1 1
could make it easier to act on the instructions.

The video scored a total points of 5 out of 7, receiving an actionability score of

71%. The audio-visual identifies a number of actions the child and parent can

do to care for primary teeth. The video address to always clean teeth before

bed to prevent plaque build up in teeth. The Dr. Bunny addresses to always

get a new tooth brush when the bristles are worn down and to never use

someone elses toothbrush. The video also showed visual aid instructions on

how to properly brush teeth by 1 through 5 steps for teeth technique cleaning

to prevent cavities. The video also addressed that the child can receive help

from their parents during the process and to limit times of snacks during the

day due to food and saliva causes cavities. The video was informative for

children and parents to take action for basic dental cleaning and advises to

visit dentist regularly. The video could had mention for how long child should

brush teeth, mention to never swallow due to the fluoride in toothpaste and

water, and how to care for gums.

e. The most important health education concept I learned that were common

within the written and visual aid educational pieces are concepts based on

when parents and child should care for their teeth. Starting with the first tooth

they should be cleaned regularly (day, night, after eating) with either a soft

cloth or soft childrens toothbrush with a small pea-sized amount of fluoride

tooth paste. Brushing should last for 2 minutes each time. To make brushing

seem fun for child choose a fun toothbrush, make a checklist for child during
 teeth cleaning and provided a song for child to brush to during brushing. Need

to have fluoride in toothpaste and water (tap water) since fluoride helps

remove cavities. Making sure to always spit out toothpaste and never swallow

due to swallowing can cause adult teeth to have white spots. Nutrition is also

important concept to prevent cavities. Healthy foods such as veggies, fruit,

whole grains, lean meats and getting enough calcium to help build strong

teeth are important to keep teeth healthy and prevent cavities. Always choose

healthy drinks versus sugary drinks since sugar is the leading cause to tooth

decay. Never put baby to bed with a bottle due to formula/milk can cause

cavities if stayed overnight. Lastly, take child to the dentist regularly for

checkups by age 1. To prevent child from become scared of the dentist, parent

should demonstrate sitting in the chair first or have child sit on parents lap

during checkup.

Part 2 - Press Release

Amelia Gonzalez
(208)412-5461
7 May, 2017
For Immediate Release

PROTECT IDAHO CHILDREN 0 TO 5 YEARS OF AGE FROM PLAQUE BUILD UP

CAUSING TOOTH DECAY DISEASE

CANYON COUNTY, IDAHO At 26.07% of children are living in poverty below the federal
poverty line (annual income 17,000 for single family of four) according to the Community
Commons, 2017. At which children living below the poverty line are more likely to severe and
untreated tooth decay disease.
Tooth decay occurs when bacteria (germs) live in childs mouth due to sugary foods and drinks.
When the bacteria uses the sugar, they make acid and overtime can cause cavities in teeth. Poor
children suffer twice as much dental caries as their more affluent peers, and their disease is more
likely to be untreated. Good news is tooth decay is highly preventable by proper dental hygiene.

Professional care is necessary for maintaining oral health and childrens well-being. Yet
childrens teeth decay is not seen as a concern for oral health, according to a Moms Guide to
Caring for Little Teeth, Its tempting to minimize the importance of oral care for kids who still
have their baby teeth. After all, they will just fall out anyways. This myth is the reason that
tooth decay is taking an epidemic proportion in our communities. Childrens primary teeth are an
essential tool for chewing, learning correct pronunciation, and play a role in permanent teeth
alignment and spacing.

Therefore, it is important to meet unprivileged familys needs by giving families smiles kits that
include a toothbrush, toothpaste with fluoride, floss, and step by step instructions on how to care
for childs primary teeth, providing dental homes for children by the age of 12 months and
providing oral health programs that promote healthy teeth and gums in schools and childcare
facilities.

Tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease At nearly one in three children
ages two to five years old in the U.S are affected by tooth decay, according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Hours are lost each year to dental-related illness causing
toothache, infection, and tooth loss. Poor children suffer nearly 12 times more restricted-activity
days than children from higher-income families. Pain and suffering due to untreated cavities can
lead to problems in eating, speaking and attending to learn (surgeongeneral.gov).

For more information on preventing childrens tooth decay or how to make dental homes and
educational programs available in your community call toll free: 1-877-CAVITIE-FREE or visit
CDCs children oral health on the internet at
https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/children_adults/child.htm .

###

Part 3 - Target Audience Consideration:

Oral health literacy is important for parents to understand basic oral health information and

knowledge where to receive service for appropriate oral health decisions for their children. Many

children suffer from dental caries because many parents lack information about the importance of

healthy teeth and gums for children under five years of age. The caregiver literacy may be

an important explanatory variable in oral health behavior and development

of dental caries among children. This is especially true for underpriviaged

families/minorities, parents with less than a high school/GED education, low

income families, and nonnative speakers of English.

Oral health literacy is important for preventing early childhood caries. Important fundamental

literacy skills needed to prevent child caries are skills on how to clean infants mouth, be able to

recognize normal and abnormal teeth, how to inspect childs mouth, how to use fluoride

appropriately and the type of foods child should eat and avoid. Numeracy is important for childs

oral health for parents to know how much and when fluoride should be used during childs oral

care and number of times to take child to dental office.

Creating a mobile app for smartphones will enable parents to manage their health and their

childrens oral health. The application will promote healthy living and provide access to useful

information when and wherever they need it by the touch of their fingers. The Brush DJ oral

health app was developed to offer to motivate an evidence-based oral hygiene routine. The

purpose of the study was to assess user perception on an oral health app and its effectiveness for

future app technology intervention. The assessment on the app was tested by a questionnaire.

The results concluded that users felt their teeth were cleaner, motivated to brush their teeth

longer, and would recommend the app to others.

http://www.nature.com/bdj/journal/v219/n4/full/sj.bdj.2015.660.html

2. Social Media Strategies- 20 points use the social media toolkit:

http://www.cdc.gov/socialmedia/Tools/guidelines/pdf/SocialMediaToolkit_BM.pdf .

Given what you learned about your target audience in question 3, Select two

different social/electronic media sources (other than Facebook) to use for your health
 topic/target audience (screen shot or provide a link). Provide some background on

each electronic media source you selected, what it is, why you think it is a good fit for

your target audience and considerations and strategies to reach your audience with

this media source. (There may be additional tools developed since this toolkit you

find to use- that is fine, provide links).

The use of computer games is common in young children, by providing an educational

computer game can be effective by increasing childs current knowledge, activate prior

knowledge and can be used to modify behavior. The educational games are effective by

educating children and even parents when helping to solve dental games for child. The

games are also entertaining to make dental cleaning fun for child. The game would educate

families on nutrition and proper brushing techniques related to childs dental health. The

game can be downloaded and access through a computer or smart phone.

http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/health_games_dental.html.

A blog for parents to connect and share their thoughts on their childrens dental health is

effective for parents to share ideas and educate each other on their childs teeth. Parents can

share their thoughts on their communites program for promoting oral health as well as

concerns. Along with information pertaining to access to dental service

information/resources, videos and parents personal testimonies related to their childs oral

health. The blogs goal will provide personal blogs from parents and can even include dental

professions. http://childrensdentalfunzone.com/blog/.