Relationship between the Sense of Coherence, Social Resources and Oral Health Behaviors among Senegalese Secondary School Students in Rural Areas

Résumé fourni par la source

Background: In Senegal, school environment is a source of stress, which sense of coherence (SOC) and social resources can help to alleviate and enable school pupils to adopt positive oral health behaviors (OHB). The study aims to determine the relationship between social resources, sense of coherence and oral health behavior of high school pupils. Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 302 High school students in the municipality of Notto-diobass, in the Thiès region, Senegal. The sense of coherence was assessed by the 13-item SOC-scale; social resources and oral health behavior by Likert scales. A structural equation model estimated the relationships between social resources, sense of coherence and oral health behaviors with correlation coefficient and p-values. Results: The mean scores for sense of coherence (46.9 ± 5), social support (8.7 ± 1.9), and oral health behavior (16 ± 2.7) were average. The students’ oral health behaviors score was correlated with sense of coherence (r = 0.20; p = 0.0004) and social support (r = 0.21; p = 0.0002). The structural equation model showed correlation between social support and sense of coherence (r = 0.65; p < 0.0001), and significant relationship between sense of coherence and oral health behaviors (r = 0.18; p = 0.042). Conclusion: The adoption of positive oral health behaviors by secondary school pupils is determined by their sense of coherence and social resources. Then, sense of coherence is important for promoting oral health in schools.

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