What are the effects of supporting early parenting by enhancing parents’ understanding of the infant? Study protocol for a cluster-randomized community-based trial of the Newborn Behavioral Observation (NBO) method

Abstract Background Support to strengthen the early parent-infant relationship is recommended to ensure the infant’s future health and development. Little is known about the universal approaches taken by health visitor to support this early relationship. The aim of this study is to investigate the e...

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Main Authors: Ingeborg Hedegaard Kristensen, Hanne Kronborg
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2018-07-01
Series:BMC Public Health
Subjects:
Online Access:http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-018-5747-4
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author Ingeborg Hedegaard Kristensen
Hanne Kronborg
author_facet Ingeborg Hedegaard Kristensen
Hanne Kronborg
author_sort Ingeborg Hedegaard Kristensen
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Support to strengthen the early parent-infant relationship is recommended to ensure the infant’s future health and development. Little is known about the universal approaches taken by health visitor to support this early relationship. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of health visitors’ use of the Newborn Behavioral Observation (NBO) method among new parents. Methods This is a cluster-randomised community-based study implemented in four Danish municipalities. Health visitors will conduct the trial, and the geographical districts they work in will constitute the clusters as units of randomisation. The participants will be approximately 2800 new families, randomised into an intervention or a comparison group according to their health visitor. The families are recruited at the first postpartum home visit. Parents in both groups receive care as usual: parents in the intervention group also receive the standardised NBO method in home visits performed from 3 weeks to 3 months postpartum. Data consist of self-reported parent questionnaires and video recordings of a selected group of vulnerable first-time mothers recorded 4 months postpartum. The self-reported data are obtained: at baseline 1 week postpartum and then at follow-up 3, 9 and 18 months postpartum. Data will be analysed using the intention-to-treat method and the analyses will include comparison of change in the primary variables across time supplemented by multiple regression analysis. The primary study outcomes are measured by the following factors: parental confidence, infants’ socio-emotional development and mother-infant relationship. Other measures include parental mood and stress, breastfeeding duration and utility of the health visitor services. Data collection among the health visitors in both groups will serve to monitor any change in practice regarding the work with early parent-infant interactions. Discussion This protocol describes an evaluation of the NBO method used universally in health visiting practice. The intervention seeks to support early parenting by increasing parents’ understanding of their infants’ cues. The NBO is currently implemented in Denmark even though an evaluation of the NBO has yet to be made in a community setting in Denmark and internationally. The study may contribute to building an increasingly evidence-based practice for health visitors. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03070652. Registered February 22, 2017.
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spelling doaj.art-180ceea0d1404314b3042c94245fd5d02022-12-22T00:48:17ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582018-07-011811910.1186/s12889-018-5747-4What are the effects of supporting early parenting by enhancing parents’ understanding of the infant? Study protocol for a cluster-randomized community-based trial of the Newborn Behavioral Observation (NBO) methodIngeborg Hedegaard Kristensen0Hanne Kronborg1Section of Nursing, Department of Public Health, Aarhus UniversitySection of Nursing, Department of Public Health, Aarhus UniversityAbstract Background Support to strengthen the early parent-infant relationship is recommended to ensure the infant’s future health and development. Little is known about the universal approaches taken by health visitor to support this early relationship. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of health visitors’ use of the Newborn Behavioral Observation (NBO) method among new parents. Methods This is a cluster-randomised community-based study implemented in four Danish municipalities. Health visitors will conduct the trial, and the geographical districts they work in will constitute the clusters as units of randomisation. The participants will be approximately 2800 new families, randomised into an intervention or a comparison group according to their health visitor. The families are recruited at the first postpartum home visit. Parents in both groups receive care as usual: parents in the intervention group also receive the standardised NBO method in home visits performed from 3 weeks to 3 months postpartum. Data consist of self-reported parent questionnaires and video recordings of a selected group of vulnerable first-time mothers recorded 4 months postpartum. The self-reported data are obtained: at baseline 1 week postpartum and then at follow-up 3, 9 and 18 months postpartum. Data will be analysed using the intention-to-treat method and the analyses will include comparison of change in the primary variables across time supplemented by multiple regression analysis. The primary study outcomes are measured by the following factors: parental confidence, infants’ socio-emotional development and mother-infant relationship. Other measures include parental mood and stress, breastfeeding duration and utility of the health visitor services. Data collection among the health visitors in both groups will serve to monitor any change in practice regarding the work with early parent-infant interactions. Discussion This protocol describes an evaluation of the NBO method used universally in health visiting practice. The intervention seeks to support early parenting by increasing parents’ understanding of their infants’ cues. The NBO is currently implemented in Denmark even though an evaluation of the NBO has yet to be made in a community setting in Denmark and internationally. The study may contribute to building an increasingly evidence-based practice for health visitors. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03070652. Registered February 22, 2017.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-018-5747-4Parenting programmeNewborn behavioral observationEarly interventionUniversal interventionHealth visitorsFamily relationship
spellingShingle Ingeborg Hedegaard Kristensen
Hanne Kronborg
What are the effects of supporting early parenting by enhancing parents’ understanding of the infant? Study protocol for a cluster-randomized community-based trial of the Newborn Behavioral Observation (NBO) method
BMC Public Health
Parenting programme
Newborn behavioral observation
Early intervention
Universal intervention
Health visitors
Family relationship
title What are the effects of supporting early parenting by enhancing parents’ understanding of the infant? Study protocol for a cluster-randomized community-based trial of the Newborn Behavioral Observation (NBO) method
title_full What are the effects of supporting early parenting by enhancing parents’ understanding of the infant? Study protocol for a cluster-randomized community-based trial of the Newborn Behavioral Observation (NBO) method
title_fullStr What are the effects of supporting early parenting by enhancing parents’ understanding of the infant? Study protocol for a cluster-randomized community-based trial of the Newborn Behavioral Observation (NBO) method
title_full_unstemmed What are the effects of supporting early parenting by enhancing parents’ understanding of the infant? Study protocol for a cluster-randomized community-based trial of the Newborn Behavioral Observation (NBO) method
title_short What are the effects of supporting early parenting by enhancing parents’ understanding of the infant? Study protocol for a cluster-randomized community-based trial of the Newborn Behavioral Observation (NBO) method
title_sort what are the effects of supporting early parenting by enhancing parents understanding of the infant study protocol for a cluster randomized community based trial of the newborn behavioral observation nbo method
topic Parenting programme
Newborn behavioral observation
Early intervention
Universal intervention
Health visitors
Family relationship
url http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-018-5747-4
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