Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 143-152).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-94).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Rhode Island, 2006. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 73-78).

Abstract Oral diseases are, to a notable extent, behavioral diseases. The concept of lifestyle makes it possible to study behavior in a broad sense. The aim was to study the association of lifestyle with oral health and dental health behavior. All of the 1,012 55-year-old citizens of Oulu were invited to a clinical examination, and 780 of them participated. A lifestyle variable to measure health orientation was constructed. Smoking, alcohol consumption, dietary habits and physical activity were used as indicators of lifestyle. The association of lifestyle with dental caries, periodontal health, denture stomatitis and dental health behavior was studied with a cross-sectional design. An unhealthy lifestyle was associated with a higher number of dental decay, periodontal pockets and a higher prevalence of denture stomatitis. Lifestyle accounted for a large part of the differences between socioeconomic groups and between men and women in number of dental decay and periodontal pockets. An unhealthy lifestyle was associated with an increased prevalence of denture stomatitis in yeast carriers. A higher toothbrushing frequency and the use of extra cleaning methods were related to healthier lifestyle. Socioeconomic status was more important than lifestyle as a determinant of dental visits. Smoking was associated with higher lactobacillus counts and the presence of yeasts in saliva. Lifestyle explained a great part of the differences between the socioeconomic groups and between men and women in oral health. It seems that part of the association between oral and general health can be explained by lifestyle. It is important to control for general lifestyle when the biological connections between oral and general health are studied.

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Previous literature has widely demonstrated the physical and mental benefits of religiousness. However, how religiousness benefits health is not as well known. It has been proposed that self-regulation is the linking mechanism and the current study sought to confirm this theory. Furthermore, religious motivation has been found to have differential effects on a variety of outcomes. The current study hypothesized that higher identification as religious motivation is linked to higher health-promoting behavior and lower health-risk behavior through higher self-regulation, which was composed of behavioral, emotional, and cognitive regulation. It was also hypothesized that higher introjection as religious motivation is linked to lower health-promoting behavior and higher health-risk behavior through lower self-regulation. The current sample included 220 adolescents (mean age = 15 years, 55% male) and their primary caregivers. This study's findings clarified that the motivation to be religious is critical when considering health benefits as it predicts health outcomes distinctly from only religiousness in general and self-regulation mediates this relation. Specifically, higher identification was related to higher self-regulation and subsequently lower health-risk behavior, whereas introjection was linked to lower self-regulation and subsequently higher health-risk behavior. However, when health-promoting behaviors, such as exercise or brushing teeth, were considered, the relation did not exist. In addition, non-significant interaction effects between identification and introjection indicated that these effects are only additive in nature. The current findings are particularly important by providing information about protective factors for risk taking behavior during adolescence, a developmental period associated with greater risk taking behavior. / Master of Science

Background: Between 1977 and 2002, the per capita intake of caloric beverages doubled in the United States, with most recent data from 2005–2006 showing that children and adults consume about 172 and 175 kcal daily, respectively, from sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) (Brownell et al., 2009). Also, a high intake of SSB has been related to many adverse health outcomes including type 2 diabetes, obesity, dental carries and heart disease (Malik, Schulze, & Hu, 2006; Vartanian, Schwartz, & Brownell, 2007; Schulze et al., 2004; Ismail, Sohn, Lim, & Willem, 2009; Fung et al., 2009); however, few studies have explored factors that influence SSB consumption. In addition, no theory-based interventions have been implemented targeting this public health problem. Objective: The primary objective of this study was to apply the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991) to investigate culturally specific attitudes, subjective norms and behavioral capabilities related to SSB, water, and artificially sweetened drink consumption among adults residing in rural Southwest Virginia. In addition, programmatic issues related to implementation of SSB interventions, including small group sessions and interactive voice response (IVR) technology was explored. Methods: A total of 8 focus groups were completed with 54 participants. Each focus group took place with residents from one of the 11 identified rural Southwest Virginia counties. Four focus groups included individuals on city water and four contained residents on well water to investigate any discrepancies in attitudes, norms and perceived behavioral control related to the intake of various drinks. Participants needed to be at least 18 years of age, English speaking, and consume >1 cup of SSB per day. A semi-structured script guided by the TPB constructs was used to facilitate the focus group discussions. All focus groups were transcribed verbatim. Two researchers independently reviewed the transcripts and met to identify major themes and develop a coding system. Three researchers independently coded meaning units (MU) to the major themes and subsequently met to review codes and reconcile disagreements. Results: The most notable themes that emerged included taste (n= 161 MU), availability/convenience (n= 95 MU), cost (n= 28 MU), and habit/addiction (n= 57 MU). Participants also continuously emphasized the importance of their doctor's advice and health concerns on their beverage choices. The majority of the participants (n=27 MU) indicated they would be willing to participate in a program with three small group sessions and phone calls, yet when asked specifically about receiving multiple interactive voice technology telephone messages, most participants said that they would not be receptive to an automated message (n=21 MU). Conclusions: Collectively, these findings provide unique cultural insight to better understand the salient beliefs associated with beverage behaviors and helps inform intervention development and delivery in the targeted vulnerable region of Southwest Virginia. / Master of Science