Maintenance of healthy behaviors after use of cognitive behavioral therapy - a longitudinal study in twins

• Grant number: 25/04244-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry - Social and Preventive Dentistry
• Principal Investigator: Edgard Michel Crosato
• Grantee: Sophia Meira Barbosa
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia (FO). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 22/02107-6 - The University of São Paulo twin panel: research on twins' behavior, health, and well-being, AP.TEM

Abstract

One of the challenges in Pediatric Dentistry is the long-term maintenance of acquired habits. Ideally, a habit should be established in a way that allows it to persist even without the patient's conscious motivation (1). Thus, this longitudinal, repeated-measures study with twins aims to monitor the long-term effects of an intervention for habit change, while also investigating factors that may influence this outcome. A key advantage of using twins in this type of study is the ability to control for the effects of genetic, environmental, and behavioral factors on the intervention (2,3). A sample of 38 twin pairs, previously included in a before-and-after study linked to this thematic project, will be followed for 24 months. In the prior study, participants received guidance on healthy dietary and oral hygiene habits, incorporating cognitive behavioral theory as a strategy for habit change. A 10-item checklist, covering dietary and oral hygiene habits, will be applied at different follow-up time points (baseline, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months) to identify when changes in targeted practices occur. The time required to acquire improved habits, as well as the time needed to reverse previously acquired habits, will be considered the primary outcomes of this study, which is characterized by repeated events. Repeated-measures survival analyses will be conducted to compare habit changes between different twin pairs and to test associated factors. (AU)