Evaluation of a 2-session Parent Training Programme for Caregivers of Younger Children in Zimbabwe

University of Cape Town (UCT)

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Child Maltreatment

Treatments: Behavioral: Tabudira Parenting Intervention for Early Childhood Development; Other: Nutritional guide for younger children

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06431321

WNDNOR001

Details and patient eligibility

About

A pilot, exploratory cluster Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) with two arms will be conducted to test a two-session parent training programme for caregivers of children enrolled in early childhood development classes in Harare Zimbabwe. The Parenting for Lifelong Health programme for Young Children together with the Mikhulu Trust Book Sharing Programme for Young Children will be adapted into a two-session version programme named Tabudirira Parent Training Intervention for Early Childhood Development.

The RCT aims to assess the following objectives:

Can the programme reduce child maltreatment? Does the intervention improve parent-child engagement with reading material? How best can the 2-session programme delivery be optimised?

Full description

A pilot, exploratory cluster Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) with two arms will be conducted to test a two-session parent training programme for caregivers of children enrolled in early childhood development classes in Harare, Zimbabwe. The Parenting for Lifelong Health programme for Young Children together with the Mikhulu Trust Book Sharing Programme for Young Children will be adapted into a two-session version programme named Tabudirira Parent Training Intervention for Early Childhood Development.

The RCT aims to assess the following objectives:

Can the programme reduce child maltreatment? Does the intervention improve parent-child engagement with reading material? How best can the 2-session programme delivery be optimised?

The RCt will have 2 arms with 120 caregivers /arms. The intervention will be a 2-session parent training programme while the control is a 2-session nutrition knowledge dissemination workshop delivered over 2 sessions.

Enrollment: 240 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged 18 years and above.
• Be a caregiver to a child enrolled in Early Childhood Development Grade A at a school in Harare Northern Central School district.
• Live with the child for a minimum of 5 days/ week.
• Provide informed consent before any study proceedings.

Exclusion Criteria

• Aged below 18
• A child enrolled in a school outside Harare Northern Central School District
• Child not enrolled in Early Childhood Development Grade A

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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240 participants in 2 patient groups

Parent training intervention

Experimental group

Description:

The Tabudirira Parenting Intervention for Early Childhood Development will be delivered to parents of children aged 4-5 years in Harare, Zimbabwe. Trained facilitators will deliver the programme face to face, and a group of 15 parents will have 3 facilitators. The facilitators comprise of teachers working as guidance and counselling coordinators and psychology graduates. The programme consists of 2 sessions that will be delivered once a week over 2 weeks, with each session lasting 2.5 to 3 hours. The session will have various activities which focus on learning from each other and practising positive parenting behaviours. At the end of each session, parents will receive a home activity which allows them to practise the content taught during the session. At the end of session 2 parents will receive a parent handbook with the summary of the 2 sessions. Schools will be used as venues and the facilitators will receive ongoing mentoring and coaching during programme delivery.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Tabudira Parenting Intervention for Early Childhood Development

Control

Active Comparator group

Description:

The control group (8 groups with 15 parents each) will receive a one-hour session on nutrition with facilitators trained by a nutritionist focusing on children aged 4-7 years. The parents will also receive a nutrition handbook. Zimbabwe is faced with the triple burden of malnutrition: underweight, micronutrient deficiencies and overweight. There is an ongoing need to protect and promote diets, services and practices through a multi-systems approach that supports optimal nutrition, growth, and development for all children, using a parent support group can help achieve the goal. The nutrition programme has no components of positive parenting or links to the reduction of violence against children but will serve as a placebo control for the attention received by parents.

Treatment:

Other: Nutritional guide for younger children