Promoting Child Development Practices in the First Year of Life Through a Video Administered at Two Different Times

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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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.

Official Title
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Promoting Effective Child Development Practices in the First Year of Life Through a Video Administered at Two Different Times. A Randomized Controlled Trial

Conditions
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Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Video


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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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
Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Active Comparator: Early administration of the video<br>Video delivered at one month of child's life | Other: Video<br>* 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.<br>|
| Experimental: Late administration of the video<br>Video delivered at seven months of child's life | Other: Video<br>* 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.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Parental knowledge, attitudes and intentions | 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 | 15 days after being exposed to the intervention | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Feelings elicited | 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 | 15 days after being exposed to the intervention | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Timing, Early childhood, Audiovisual materials, Parent-child interaction, Parenting programs