Fidelity of motivational interviewing in an American Indian oral health intervention.

OBJECTIVES: Assess fidelity of a motivational interviewing (MI) intervention focused on preventing early childhood caries in a cohort of American Indian mothers with newborns. METHODS: Four interventionists were trained to administer an oral health MI intervention. The MI sessions were audio recorded to enable scoring as part of fidelity studies to assess the interventionist's degree of competence in using MI principles. Evaluation of the interventionists was completed using the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity (MITI) 3.1.1. which assesses global ratings and behaviour counts. Two reviewers evaluated and scored the MI sessions; a random sample of twenty per cent of the total interviews was scored by a trained reviewer and fifty per cent of the randomly selected files scored by an external expert. A total of 225 files were coded by the trained reviewer and 121 files by the external expert. RESULTS: Mean global scores for all interventionists combined were around 4.0 (expert competence). Scores for reflection to question ratios (around 0.6) were below beginner competence. Scores ranged from beginner to expert competence for open-ended questions (54%-56%), complex reflections (38%-43%) and MI-adherent statements (93%-95%). There was variation in competence for the four interventionists when analysed individually. Inter-rater reliability scores for the two reviewers ranged from fair (0.40-0.59) to good (0.60-0.74). The MI interventionist rated the best in the fidelity assessment had the worst study outcomes compared to other interventionists. CONCLUSIONS: Individual interventionists' scores for the MITI global ratings and behaviour counts reflected variation in competence and ranged from below beginner to expert levels. A higher competence level of the interventionist as assessed by the fidelity study was not related to better study outcomes.

Motivational interviewing with American Indian mothers to prevent early childhood caries: study design and methodology of a randomized control trial.

BACKGROUND: This randomized control trial assesses the effectiveness of motivational interviewing (MI) to encourage behavior change in new mothers relating to caries prevention when caring for their newborn American Indian (AI) infants and young AI children. METHODS/DESIGN: The study is a randomized control trial. We hypothesize that when motivational interviewing is added to enhanced community oral health education services, the new mothers will achieve greater reduction of caries experience in their AI children compared to those who are receiving enhanced community services (ECS) alone. Six hundred mothers or caregivers of AI newborns will be enrolled into the study and randomized to one of the two intervention groups over a two-year period. The children will be followed until the child's third birthday. A cost analysis of the study is being conducted in tandem with the enhanced community services, motivational interviewing behavioral interventions, and the dental screenings for the length of the study. DISCUSSION: The trial is now in the implementation phase and a number of threats to successful completion, such as recruitment and retention challenges in a vast, rural geographic area, have been addressed. The protocol provides a unique model for oral health interventions using principles of community-based participatory research and is currently on schedule to meet study objectives. If the study is successful, motivational interviewing intervention can be applied in AI communities to reduce ECC disparities in this disadvantaged population, with study of further applicability in other populations and settings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01116726.