Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Conditions
Keywords
Early childhood, Audiovisual materials, Parent-child interaction, Parenting programs, Timing
Brief summary
There is an increasing need for parenting programs aimed at promoting parent-child interaction. A variety of interventions have been proposed. The use of audiovisual materials for parents has been shown to be effective but limited information is available on the optimal timing for its use, particularly for new parents during the first year of life of their children. Based on the hypothesis that the effectiveness of information provided to first-time parents in modifying their knowledge, attitudes and intentions regarding rearing practices may depend on when the information is delivered, we designed an open randomized controlled trial to compare the effectiveness of administering a video at two different times, i.e. at one and seven months of age of the child. The video addressed four specific activities related to early child development: reading aloud to the baby, early exposure to music, promotion of early socialization for parents and for children.
Interventions
OTHERVideo
The video was developed by a multidisciplinary team (psychologists, paediatricians, filmmaker). It was conceived as an aid to parenting in the first year of life, providing opportunities for parents to look at their own experiences. The video lasts 24 minutes and describes the birth of a new relationship between primary caregivers and their babies, in chronological order, starting from late pregnancy to the end of the first year. Caregiver-child interactions are shown from early contact after delivery to common care practices, with an emphasis on four specific activities, which are believed to improve child development and caregiver-child interaction: reading aloud to the baby, exposure to songs, rhymes and music, promotion of early socialization for parents and for children.
Sponsors
IRCCS Burlo Garofolo
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* first parenting experience * local residence * no major health or psychosocial problems in parents and in the newborn * no delay in discharge from the maternity ward * adequate knowledge of Italian
Exclusion criteria
* None
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Parental knowledge, attitudes and intentions | 15 days after being exposed to the intervention | Closed-ended questions about the four specific activities examined (reading aloud, exposure to music, caregiver and child early socialization) collected through a researcher-administered structured questionnaire |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feelings elicited | 15 days after being exposed to the intervention | Closed-ended questions collected through a researcher-administered structured questionnaire. Eight categories of emotions were evaluated: happiness, sadness, fear, rage, guilt, sense of competence, lack of self-confidence, and sense of inadequacy |
Countries
Italy
Outcome results
None listed