Early Childhood Oral Health Initiative for Rural Families

Early childhood dental caries represents the most common, and possibly the most commonly overlooked, chronic childhood disease in the United States. National health leaders recognize that families with young children living in rural communities face significantly more barriers to sustaining positive oral health than the general population. Low-income families in rural communities experience even greater challenges in regularly accessing oral health care for young children whose health problems, as research has shown, will generally escalate as they age. Therefore, a key health strategy in early childhood in rural communities must include prevention. The proposed Phase II research will develop a prototype of video-based learning tools representing an innovative approach to health prevention through family education in rural communities, combining groundbreaking science in early childhood development with advanced video technology designed specifically for rural families with young children. Webfish Pacific will: 1) create a full prototype of ?enhanced family-centered video education tools? related to oral health in early childhood; 2) conduct in-depth research in the use of these videos within Early Head Start programs in Hawaii; 3) conduct broad research in the use of these videos within Early Head Start programs in Hawaii and two other states; and, 4) analyze evaluation results. We are committed to contributing to building economic capacity among communities nationally and achieving healthier outcomes, especially for low-income families with young children living in rural communities across the country. The proposed research will determine the success and effectiveness related to family-centered video technology delivering health education for families with young children living in rural communities.