Clinical trial NCT05746741: Telehealth Intervention Strategies for WIC (THIS-WIC)- Michigan
Official title: Telehealth Intervention Strategies for WIC (THIS-WIC)- Michigan
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Telehealth
Nutrition Education
Breast Feeding
Dietary Intake
WIC
Keywords: Telehealth
WIC
nutrition education
breast feeding
dietary intake
Lead sponsor: Tufts University
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
name: State of Michigan WIC Program
name: RTI International
First posted: 2023-02-28
Enrollment: 386
Sex: FEMALE
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: Study participants will be clients at local WIC agency sites where either the telehealth solution is offered or where only usual care is available (control).
Primary purpose: OTHER

Brief summary: With funding through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Tufts University's Telehealth Intervention Strategies for WIC (THIS-WIC), Michigan's (MI) WIC department will pilot telehealth opportunities as a means of delivering services to WIC Clients. This video conferencing pilot looks to improve and/or remove barriers. Implementing a pilot program in select local agencies to utilize technology would allow clients to connect with a WIC Registered Dietitian (RD) or an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). Videoconferencing could open new opportunities for leveraging the extensive expertise of the nutrition and lactation workforce in WIC agencies to address rural and remote locations and travel considerations.

The purpose of this study will be to evaluate the effectiveness of this telehealth solution.

Detailed description: Michigan WIC Agency will pilot telehealth opportunities as a means of delivering services to WIC Clients.This video conferencing pilot looks to improve and/or remove barriers such as negative clinic experiences (long wait times or poor customer service), lost time from work (creating job risk and lost wages), inconvenient WIC clinic locations and appointment times, and lack of transportation. Implementing a pilot program in select local agencies to utilize technology would allow clients to connect with a WIC Registered Dietitian (RD) or an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). Videoconferencing could open new opportunities for leveraging the extensive expertise of the nutrition and lactation workforce in WIC agencies to address rural and remote locations and travel considerations. Additional urban locations, where clients lack transportation or use of public transportation presents a barrier to traveling to subsequent WIC appointments, will also be included in the pilot. Local agencies in rural and urban areas with similar caseloads will serve as controls to compare outcomes between offering telehealth and conducting IBCLC and RD appointments in person.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of this telehealth solution by having clients complete surveys on their comfortability using telehealth and their satisfaction with the telehealth appointment. Additionally, secondary demographic and other nutrition-related information about study participants is already collected in the MIS and will be utilized.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Pregnant women
* Breastfeeding women
* postpartum women with children in the age range of 0 to 5 years

Exclusion Criteria:

-

Primary outcomes:
measure: Satisfaction with the telehealth solution
timeFrame: During the study period, approximately 18 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Breastfeeding duration
timeFrame: During the study period, approximately 18 months
measure: Attendance at scheduled appointments
timeFrame: During the study period, approximately 18 months
measure: Dietary intake
timeFrame: During the study period, approximately 18 months
measure: Attitudes to breastfeeding and nutrition education
timeFrame: During the study period, approximately 18 months
measure: Barriers encountered in obtaining nutrition education and breastfeeding support
timeFrame: During the study period, approximately 18 months
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Boston
country: United States
facility: Tufts University
state: Massachusetts
Study officials:
affiliation: Tufts University
name: Erin Hennessy, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: