Parental health belief and behavioral factors influencing oral health behaviors of preschoolers in shanghai: a cross-sectional study

Children's oral health has been a significant public health issue. This study examined the impact of parental health beliefs and behaviors on preschoolers' oral health behaviors (OHBs) and identified key predictors to guide future interventions. Conducted among 2,393 parents from 46 kindergartens in Minhang District, Shanghai, China, a cross-sectional study collected data via an online questionnaire covering demographics, children's and parental OHBs, parental oral health knowledge, and health beliefs based on the Health Belief Model (HBM). Exploratory factor analysis and hierarchical multiple regression were employed to analyze HBM items and examine relationships between these factors and children's OHBs. The results revealed that the model explained 44.4% of the variance in children's OHBs. Significant predictors included child's age, grade level, parental OHBs, parental oral health knowledge, perceived barriers, and cues to action. Parental OHBs were the strongest predictor, explaining 37.6% of the variance. The study highlights the importance of enhancing parental OHBs and knowledge, reducing perceived barriers, and increasing cues to action in interventions. Future interactive parent workshops in schools and communities should be implemented to strengthen children's oral care skill training, specifically targeting parental cognitive misconceptions while providing accessible oral health resources and conditions.