text4FATHER R21: Social Media - Efficacy Trial

Johns Hopkins University180 enrolled

Overview

This project will be the first to examine the efficacy of a text messaging intervention designed to recruit first-time fathers-to-be using social media across the U.S. to become involved during pregnancy through two months of postnatal age to support infant, mother, and father well-being.

Father engagement in the prenatal and infant periods is associated with improved infant outcomes (e.g., physical, social and emotional health and development), and mother and father well-being. However, this key window of opportunity has been insufficiently leveraged to promote father engagement, especially, first-time fathers-to-be. text4FATHER, a multi-modal text messaging program, is designed to increase first-time fathers' knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavioral engagement. text4FATHER sends texts twice-weekly to fathers with threaded content to support infant, partner, and father well-being including resource weblinks to support behavior change from mid-pregnancy through 2 months postnatally. Text content was developed using formative research and feedback from the target population, consensus building with experts, and an evidence-based review.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

180

Conditions

Fathers Mobile Health Nuclear Family

Interventions

text4FATHERBEHAVIORAL

Receipt of twice-weekly texts that include resource links and instructions to support behavior change (e.g., videos, infographics) and start mid-pregnancy and continuing through 2 months of age.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Aged ≥18 years * Live in the U.S. * Speak English * Mother gestational age at enrollment less than 25 weeks * First-time father-to-be * Willing/able to receive texts. Exclusion Criteria: * Individuals who are minors * Do not speak English * Unable to provide informed consent * Not a first-time father * Not willing/unable to receive texts * In the past 12 months, any safety concern reported between father-to-be and the mother-to-be, including report of any physical, emotional, sexual harm, threatening behaviors, police involvement, restraining or protective order

Locations (1)

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, Maryland, United States

RECRUITING

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Change in Self-efficacy as assessed by the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (PSOC)

Self-report measure with higher score indicating greater confidence in overall parenting skills. This measure is scaled with range from 1 (low) to 6 (high). Mean range 1-6.

Time frame: Baseline and 7 months

Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale (KPCS)

Self-report measure with higher score indicating greater confidence in infant care behaviors. This measure is scaled with range from 0 (no, hardly ever) to 3 (yes, most times). Mean range 0-3.

Time frame: Baseline and 7 months

Father Engagement Scale (FES)

Self-report measure with higher score indicating greater degree of father engagement in infant care activities. This measure is scaled with range from 0 (never) to 4 (every day or almost every day). Mean range 0-4.

Time frame: Baseline and 7 months

Central Contacts

Arik V Marcell, MD, MPH

CONTACT

4432878946 amarcell@jhu.edu

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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