CARTOON: CoronAviRus (COVID-19) educaTional prOgram fOr childreN

Medical University of Vienna57 enrolled

Overview

Our study aims to investigate whether our CoronAviRus educaTional prOgram fOr children (CARTOON) facilitates the adherence to hygiene measures and is feasible to dispel fear in preschool children (3-6 years old) during the pandemic.

This prospective randomized controlled trial will be performed at four kindergartens in Vienna, Austria. About 60 children between three and six years of age attending kindergarten will be included in the study. Prior inclusion in the study eligible adults have to sign a parental consent form. We will randomly assign 30 children to the intervention group (n=30) and 30 children to the control group (n=30). Depending on the randomization (intervention group vs. control group), children either receive our CARTOON (intervention group) or no educational training (control group).

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Covid19 Pediatric Psychiatric Disorder Psychological Stress

Interventions

Educational Program (CARTOON)OTHER

CARTOON is an interdisciplinary psychoeducational intervention program. It consists of five teaching sessions: 1) hand hygiene, not grasping the face, 2) sneezing etiquette, 3) wearing a mask, 4) social distancing, and 5) theoretical knowledge about the coronavirus. Using special exercises and games, information about the coronavirus is conveyed in a child friendly manner.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 3 YearsMax age: 6 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Children between three and six years who are attending kindergarten * consent of the parents and the participants Exclusion Criteria: * physically unable to complete any of the training exercises * German skills not good enough to follow the instructions

Locations (1)

Medical University of Vienna

Vienna, Austria

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Change of Emotional Outcome

For the assessment of emotional wellbeing, fear, and burden during the pandemic we will use the emotional scale which measure feelings including emotional wellbeing, fear, and burden. Since it is often hard for children to describe their own feelings with words, we will use the emotional scales of Gräßler and colleagues. These scales use child-friendly illustrated pictures and can be used to support the children in naming their feelings including emotional wellbeing, fear, and burden.

Time frame: Baseline (before the intervention), 1 day after the intervention and three months after the intervention

Change of Knowledge Outcome

The corona quiz consists of a 18-item questionnaire and covers theoretical and practical knowledge. Content validity of the knowledge test was reviewed by an expert panel consisting of three psychologists with expertise in children health, one kindergarten teacher, and one pediatrician.

Time frame: Baseline (before the intervention), 1 day after the intervention and three months after the intervention

Baseline Behavior of the Participants

Behavior will be assessed by using the parent and teacher reported Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). The CBCL is a questionnaire for parents and teachers revealing behavioral problems of children and adolescents. In the CBCL/1.5-5, two evaluation methods are available. In the first evaluation method, questions are grouped in seven empirically based problem scales including emotionally reactive, anxious/depressed, aggressive behavior, attention problems, somatic complaints, sleep problems, and withdrawn.

Time frame: Baseline (before the intervention)

Secondary Outcomes

Nationality of parents

Is there a correlation of the Nationality of the parents with emotional and knowledge outcomes of the children

Time frame: Baseline (before the intervention)

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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