Texting to Promote Breastfeeding (TOPS)

Case Western Reserve University

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Increased Breastfeeding

Treatments: Behavioral: Bright By Text; Behavioral: Team2BF

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06375655

STUDY20240085

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of the study is to see if a program of text messages that support and promote breastfeeding for expecting and delivered African-American/Black women (called TEAM2BF), as compared to a national maternal health texting program (called Bright By Text), can result in more women being able to breastfeed their infant. Because breastfeeding is healthy for mothers and babies, and because fewer African-American/Black women decide to breastfeed and continue breastfeeding than many other racial and ethnic groups, researchers like us are trying to figure out ways to be supportive to African-American/Black mothers who might be interested in breastfeeding. The investigators will enroll up to 80 mothers and their infants at UHCMC.

Enrollment: 80 estimated patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Expectant women initiating obstetrical care <34 weeks or at any prenatal visit up to 34 weeks gestation
• Daily access to a mobile phone with text message capabilities,
• Self-identify as African-American/Black,
• English speaking, and
• Infant feeding plan of "might or will breastfeed"
• Receive care at Ahuja Midtown or MAC1200

Exclusion criteria

• Committed to feeding formula only to their infant
• No mobile phone with text capability

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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80 participants in 2 patient groups

Team2BF

Experimental group

Description:

Team2BF includes 3-4 breastfeeding-supportive messages per time interval, sent weekly from 28 weeks gestation through delivery, daily through 2 weeks postpartum, weekly from 2 to 10 weeks, and then monthly to one year. Other maternal health topics are not addressed.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Team2BF

Bright By Text

Active Comparator group

Description:

Bright By Text sends 2-4 messages per week from the first trimester through and beyond one year postpartum about a wide range of maternal and child health topics as outlined on their website; 8 messages are specifically about breastfeeding.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Bright By Text