Investigation on Mouth Breathing Behavior of Adolescents and Analysis of Health Intervention Strategies

Background This study focuses on adolescents and aims to investigate the prevalence of mouth breathing, discover its associated health impacts, and explore the intervention needs of mouth breathing, which provide scientific basis for developing effective intervention measures and management strategies. Methods This cross-sectional study employed questionnaire survey method to investigate the mouth breathing behavior of students aged 6 to 10 at Primary School in Shanghai. The questionnaire includes basic information, behavioral habits, health status, cognition and attitudes, as well as intervention needs and preferences. The collected information was summarized after cleaning and statistically analyzing the data. Results The survey showed that about 68% of teenagers have mouth breathing problems, mainly manifested as malocclusion, facial changes, and decreased sleep quality and other health problems. The incidence of mouth breathing caused by harmful habits is higher in boys than girls., while girls have higher awareness of harm and willingness to correct. Although 73.5% of students are willing to accept intervention, 35.9% have lacked knowledge of correction methods, and most of them prefer non-invasive correction methods. Conclusion Mouth breathing has a high incidence in adolescents and significantly affects their health. This study recommends strengthening health education, promoting early screening, optimizing intervention measures, and paying attention to the health needs of vulnerable groups to improve the level of adolescent health management and promote health equity