KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, AND PRACTICES ON MATERNAL AND INFANT ORAL HEALTH CARE AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN: QUESTIONNAIRE VALIDATION AND PILOT STUDY RESULTS

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the quality of a questionnaire on oral health care for pregnant women and infants and to explore knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding oral health care among pregnant women attending antenatal care clinics. The pilot study was conducted among 30 pregnant women receiving antenatal services at Samut Prakan Hospital. The questionnaire was developed and divided into three sections: personal characteristics (12 items), knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding oral health care during pregnancy (17 items), and knowledge and attitudes regarding infant oral health care (12 items). Face validity and content validity were assessed by three experts using the Content Validity Index (CVI), with an acceptable value of ≥0.8. The questionnaire was then pilot-tested to evaluate item difficulty, discrimination index, and internal consistency reliability using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The results showed that the questionnaire demonstrated excellent content validity, with a CVI of 0.966. Item difficulty indices ranged from 0.47 to 0.80, while discrimination indices ranged from 0.221 to 0.551. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.802. In conclusion, the questionnaire demonstrated satisfactory validity and reliability. Therefore, it is suitable for use in the main study and to support further research in this field.

Keywords: Pregnant Women, Oral Health, Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, Oral Health Status, Good Health and Well-Being