Impact Evaluation of the "Baby Newsletter" (BabyNewsletter)

Azienda USL Reggio Emilia - IRCCS

Status: Completed

Conditions: Parenting

Treatments: Behavioral: Baby Newsletter

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03268408

BabyNewsletter

Details and patient eligibility

About

Not-randomized controlled study to evaluate a community intervention to promote self-efficacy parenting. The treated group will be composed by all newborns resident in S.Ilario d'Enza (105 in 2013) where the Baby Newsletter is implemented. Newborns resident in the Health District of Montecchio and born in Montecchio Hospital in the same period are the control group (278 in 2013). Preterm or hospitalized children are excluded.

Self-efficacy parenting is evaluated through a questionnaire administered at baseline, after 5 and 12 months.

Full description

Background

The importance of promoting parenting skills is worldwide recognized and, in Italy, different projects are implemented in order to develop these competences. The impact of these experiences is rarely evaluated.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the improvement in self-efficacy parenting produced by an intervention which consists in sending to every new parents, during the first year of life of their son, eight newsletters with advices and recommendations on child care and development (project "Baby Newsletter").

Methods

Not-randomized controlled study to evaluate a community intervention to promote self-efficacy parenting. The treated group will be composed by all newborns resident in S.Ilario d'Enza (105 in 2013) where the Baby Newsletter is implemented. Newborns resident in the Health District of Montecchio and born in Montecchio Hospital in the same period are the control group (278 in 2013). Preterm or hospitalized children are excluded.

Self-efficacy parenting is evaluated through the TOPSE (Tool to measure Parenting Self-Efficacy) questionnaire administered at baseline, in Montecchio Birth Unit or at the paediatric clinics, and at the vaccination appointments after 5 and 12 months.

Enrollment: 136 patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• being parent of a child born during the study enrollment period and resident in the Montecchio Health District
• good comprehension of Italian language

Exclusion criteria

• delivering in other facilities than the Montecchio hospitals (only for controls)
• parents of newborns with pathological conditions at born
• parents of newborns that were transferred to another hospital immediately after born due to clinical reasons
• parents of pre-term newborns

Trial design

136 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention

Description:

Intervention aimed at improving self-efficacy parenting which consists in sending to new parents, during the first year of life of their son, eight newsletters with advices and recommendations on child care and development (project "Baby Newsletter").

Treatment:

Behavioral: Baby Newsletter

Control

Description:

Usual care