Enhancing the HABIT
2020 - 2022
The University of Leeds received funding to improve oral health for 0-3s to deliver their ‘Enhancing the HABIT’ oral health intervention with the area’s Health Visitors.
HABIT (Health visitors delivering Advice in Britain on Infant Toothbrushing) is a Medical Research Council funded research intervention that supports Health Visitors to have effective conversations around baby and young children’s oral health with families.
They set out to adapt and refine the HABIT intervention and resources to improve accessibility for families in Bradford, in preparation for implementation in the Better Start Bradford area. They set up focus groups with Health Visitors, nursery practitioners and parents/carers with limited English from the local community to undertake this work.
HABIT was subsequently embedded within our MECSH (Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-visiting) programme.
Why this project was developed
In Bradford, around two in every five children have tooth decay by the age of five, and the district’s South Asian and Eastern European families with language barriers face higher risks of childhood tooth decay.
Background, impact and findings
Further reading
This webinar from November 2024 looks at the oral health picture for under 5s in Bradford, the development of the HABIT programme: method, results and evaluation and how this was applied to the MECSH programme.
Access this Linktree with a wealth of HABIT academic publications, quantitative and qualitative findings, reports and media plus much more.
Dr. Amrit Bhatti, a Research Assistant, School of Dentistry, University of Leeds, shares how the team have been consulting with local families through WhatsApp to shape their oral health materials for Health Visitors
The University of Leeds have been funded to improve oral health for 0-3s in Bowling, Barkerend, Bradford Moor and Little Horton by delivering their 'Enhancing the HABIT' project.
An online resource with lots of hints, tips, fun activities and advice to support good oral health in 0-5s.
Better Start Brushing is an educational campaign to help improve the oral health of 0-3s in the Better Start Bradford area.
You may also like to look at...
MECSH is a programme of regular home visits with the same Health Visitor. Originally developed in Australia, it was delivered as part of the Better Start Bradford programme from 2021 to 2023.
The Innovation Fund enabled organisations to pilot new, innovative approaches robustly over a period of a year, with potential for them to become a fully-fledged Better Start Bradford project.
From 2015 to 2025 we delivered over 20 evidence-led projects and services for expectant families and families with children aged 0-3 in Bowling and Barkerend, Bradford Moor and Little Horton. What did we find out?