Primary Child Health Care Research Articles

Availability and implementation of guidelines in European child primary health care: how can we improve?

BackgroundClinical guidelines are important for providing high-quality child primary health care. We aimed to assess the availability, use and achieved delivery of guidelines in the European Union (EU).MethodsWe used a case study design to ascertain expert views on guidelines in six countries representing the EU. The experts completed an online questionnaire (response 49%), asking about their perception of guideline availability and implementation regarding three topics that represent prevention and care, i.e. vaccination, assessment of mental health and asthma care.ResultsAccording to the respondents all countries had guidelines available for asthma care. For vaccination and mental health assessment respondents agreed to a lesser degree that guidelines were available. Implementation of guidelines for vaccination was mostly perceived as intended, but implementation of the guidelines for mental health assessment and asthma care was limited. Notable barriers were complexity of performance, and lack of training of professionals and of financial resources. Important facilitators for guideline implementation were the fit with routine practice, knowledge and skills of professionals and policy support. We found no clear relationship of guideline availability and implementation with type of child primary health care system of countries, but strong governance and sufficient financial resources seemed important for guideline availability.ConclusionsAvailability and implementation of clinical guidelines in child primary health care vary between EU countries. Implementation conditions can be strongly improved by adequate training of professionals, stronger governance and sufficient financial resources as facilitating factors. This can yield major gains in child health across Europe.

Primary child health care: the largest population-based assessment in the history of Brazilian National Health System.

The IBGE has been playing a leading role in the public policy evaluation in Brazil since 2019. After the National Health Survey (PNS) evaluated primary care services in the Unified Health System (SUS) provided to adults, in 2022, the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (PNAD-C) investigated child health. To this end, it adopted one version of the Primary Care Assessment Tool (PCAT), developed and disseminated by Starfield and Shi to assess the existence and extent of the attributes of PHC services. The target audience surveyed included children under 13 years of age, and the questionnaires were answered by their guardians/caregivers. It included all the 27 federative units of the country in random probabilistic samples, also unfolding in the Brazilian metropolitan regions and capitals. This is the largest household survey on child health assessment ever conducted in Brazil. With the PNS-2019 and the PNAD-C in 2022, IBGE inaugurates its greatest legacy for Brazilian primary health care regarding the evaluation of SUS users, with all federative units recognizing and understanding how Brazilian society evaluates health services at the first level of care.

EVALUATION OF AWARENESS, KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE OF CLINICAL NURSES TOWARDS PRIMARY ORAL HEALTH CARE OF CHILDREN.

Background & objectives: Most of the toddlers and early childhood children in developing and under developing countries do not visit dental clinics for oral examinations earlier than three years of age though they often visit primary health care providers for regular medical checkups. Health care providers like nurses are easily available and are in frequent contact with expecting mothers and children for routine check ups. This provides an opportunity to join in oral health promotion and care into health care. Nurses play a major as well as prominent role in providing health services, along with the general physicians. Yet, the nurses can be efficiently employed to promote oral health awareness among the community level. The oral health should have greater importance in the nurse for identification and diagnosis of dental and oral diseases. The aim of this study was to study the awareness, knowledge and attitude towards primary oral health care of children among clinical nurses. Methods: A total of 200 clinical nurses received a questionnaire that included demographic data, questions to assess the oral knowledge, oral awareness and attitude towards primary oral health care of the children. Data was collected, tabulated and statistically analysed. Results: The result showed that most nursing students (80%) are unaware about primary oral health care disease and the importance of primary teeth are also not known by both the private and government college nursing students. Interpretation & conclusion: Primary health care nurses lack knowledge and awareness in oral and dental health care. Nurses have positive attitude and willingness to obtain more information for appropriate oral health care. Training and encouragement for the nurses helps to promote oral health and prevent dental diseases in children.

Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention and Control in Low- and Middle-income Countries: Current Status and Best Practices.

Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention and Control in Low- and Middle-income Countries: Current Status and Best Practices.

Consequences of barriers to primary health care for children in Aotearoa New Zealand

Inequities in the provision of accessible primary health care contribute to poor health outcomes and health inequity. This study evaluated inequities in the prevalence and consequences of barriers that children face in seeing a general practitioner (GP) in Aotearoa New Zealand. We analysed data on 5,947 children from the Growing Up in New Zealand longitudinal study cohort on barriers to seeing a GP in the previous year, reported by mothers when their children were aged 24 months and 54 months (in 2011/12 and 2013/14 respectively); and maternal-reported hospitalisations in the year prior to age 54 months. We used logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for consequences of these barriers.Overall, 4.7% (n = 279) of children experienced barriers to seeing a GP in the year to 24 months and 5.5% (n = 325) in the year to 54 months. At each age, and for each specific barrier studied, barriers were more prevalent among Māori (the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand), and among Pacific, compared to New Zealand European, children. Children facing barriers in the year to age 24 months were twice as likely to be hospitalised in the year to 54 months (OR 2.18, 95%CI: 1.38 to 3.44). When this relationship was analysed by ethnicity, the association was strongest for Māori (OR: 2.92, 95%CI: 1.60 to 5.30), less strong for Pacific (OR 2.01, 95%CI: 0.92 to 4.37) and not present for New Zealand European (OR 1.27, 95%CI 0.39 to 4.12) families.Barriers that children face to seeing a GP have social and cost implications for families and the health system. Changes to the health system, and future health policy, must align with the New Zealand government’s obligations under Te Tiriti o [The Treaty of] Waitangi, to ensure that health equity becomes a reality for Māori.

Analysis of the pattern, type and the extent of dental services provided to children and youth on the territory of Republic of Serbia

Background/Aim: The requirements for dental specialties and the number of specialists in each country are unique and strong indicator of the availability and affordability of primary health care for children and adolescents. The aim of this study was to determine the pattern, type and the extent of dental services, as well as the influence of regional factors and data on whether services are provided by a pediatric dentist or general dentist have effect on these parameters, based on information obtained from dentists providing dental care to children and youth. Material and Methods: Within the project "Program for the improvement of oral health of children and youth in the Republic of Serbia", supported by the Ministry of Health of Serbia, a research was conducted among dentists involved in dental care for children and youth in Serbia. Data collection from primary health care facilities was performed through a specially designed questionnaire. A total of 445 questionnaires were collected from dentists from 102 health centers in Serbia in the period June - October 2019. Results: There are significant differences between regions in the pattern, type and the extent of dental services. In the quantitative analysis, there are no significant differences in the type of dental services between pediatric and preventive dentistry specialists and general dentists. Conclusions: The data from the conducted research speak in favor of a large daily workload of dentists who deliver oral health care for children and youth in Serbia. Additional multifactorial analysis, which includes epidemiological data from the region, but also environmental, demographic and cultural parameters of oral health could be the basis for improving the provision of preventive dental and preventive oral care

Fidelity of motivational interviewing in an oral health intervention with caregivers of young children.

The aim of this study was to assess the fidelity of a motivational interviewing (MI) intervention with caregivers of young children in primary healthcare in Southern Brazil. Seven trained interventionists conducted one MI session with each caregiver at their home. The sessions were audio-recorded and a randomly selected subset (n = 109) was coded by a single reviewer using the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity 3.1.1. criteria (MITI 3.1.1.). This instrument establishes parameters of MI proficiency for beginners and experts measuring the global ratings of five MI principles (evocation, collaboration, autonomy/support, direction and empathy), the global MI spirit score, and the behavior counts of MI basic skills: to inform, to ask, and to listen. The mean global MI spirit rating was 4.0 (95%CI 3.9-4.1). Mean MI principle scores ranged from 3.8 (95%CI 3.7-3.9) to 4.3 (95%CI 4.2-4.4). The overall reflection-to-question ratio was 0.9 (95 CI 0.8-1.0), % open questions was 76.3 (95%CI 73.1-79.6), % complex reflections was 66.1 (95%CI 63.1-69.1), and % MI-adherent information was 94.1 (95%CI 93.5-94.5). Interventionists with higher scores conducted more and longer sessions than those with lower scores (p = 0.012). Those with beginner proficiency had a higher proportion of caregivers changing their oral health knowledge (p = 0.005). In conclusion, a good degree of MI fidelity was found, with higher fidelity among interventionists who conducted more interviews and spent more time talking with caregivers.

Insights of South African medical interns on their intentions towards careers in primary healthcare and child health.

Health provision in South Africa requires a focus on primary health care within the public health system. Medical practitioners continue to migrate from the public health service. Given the need for human resources in primary health care, this study was conducted to explore the perceptions and experiences of newly-qualified medical practitioners (interns) about pursuing a career in primary health care in the public health sector. This exploratory, qualitative study specifically explored the factors related to interns' perceptions about careers in primary health and child health care in the public health service in five hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Data was collected through focus group discussions with a purposive sample of intern participants, who were chosen for having had the necessary experience to decide on long-term careers. The data were coded, categorised and themed using a combination of manual and computer-assisted methods. (NVivo 11 software). Themes both external and specific to the intern-supervisor relationship were identified that influences intern career intentions. A high disease burden in resource-constrained institutions that are perceived to be poorly managed and sub-optimal intern-supervisor relationships lead to inadequate participation within 'communities of practice' during internship. Interns viewed careers related to primary health care negatively, preferring to specialise in other fields. Multiple challenges are identified when participating in caring for adults and children in KZN's public health service. This coupled with a perceived inadequate supervisor support favour interns to see medical specialisation as a more feasible career option rather than primary health care. Experiences during internship possibly influence future career intentions that are discordant with SA's national health priorities. Improving the intern working environment may be a way forward to stimulate interns' interests in careers congruent with SA's health needs, specifically careers in primary health care.

Primary child health care services in Lithuania: Does it meet the needs of the children?

Primary health care is the foundation of a health system and has a strong influence on the efficiency of the health system as a whole. For children in Europe, it is defined by three primary health care models: paediatric; mixed paediatrician and family physician; and family physician. There is much debate in Europe about which model is most appropriate for children. The Lithuanian model is mixed, although health policy is geared towards the promotion of family physicians, with a decline in the number of primary paediatricians in clinical practice. To review the children's primary health care system in Lithuania, compare the indicators of primary care by family physicians and paediatricians in Lithuania, and identify parents' perceptions of the primary health care model for children. A retrospective longitudinal study was performed of children's primary health care indicators for quantity and quality in 2014-2018. A representative opinion survey of 1000 adult respondents was conducted. A total of 3.5 million children's visits to primary care physicians (6.7± 3 visits for each child) were registered in Lithuania in 2018. During a recent 5-year period (2014-2018), the number of visits did not change significantly. Visits to paediatricians accounted for 41% of all children's visits to primary care physicians in 2018. Visits to Emergency Departments increased by 20%. The results of the survey showed that 72.3% of the respondents would prefer their children be treated by a primary care paediatrician. The mixed paediatrician and family physician health care model gives parents the right to choose. The results showed a decreased number of paediatricians in primary care; paediatric primary care is more frequent than family physician care; and parents tend to trust paediatricians more. The study also showed differences in the models of service used and patterns between regions in Lithuania.

Health Technologies Assessment for Orphan Diseases. Example of Social and Economic Burden of Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Background. Studies of the economic impact of disease on society or the social and economic burden, known as developmental disease cost analysis, are equivalent to public health epidemiological studies. Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) has significant social and economic burden according to various studies.Objective. The aim of the study is to compare Russian and international methodological approaches and results of health technology assessment (HTA) of SMA from the perspective of social and economic burden. Materials and methods. Literature searches were conducted using the Medline, PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Cochrane Library databases. Keywords and criteria for inclusion and exclusion have been used. The following parameters were used: costs, year of calculation, assessment method, primary and secondary results, type of economic assessment, perspective, time horizon, intervention, analysis of the sensitivity of the results. Both direct medical and non-medical costs were taken into account, as well as indirect costs.Results. The analysis of SMA burden the USA, Germany, Spain, Australia, France, Great Britain, and the Russian Federation was carried out based on 8 international studies and one Russian study that described the costs of SMA. All costs, including indirect ones, were estimated only in 4 international studies and in Russian one. The main source of information was either patient registers or cross-sectional retrospective studies of patients diagnosed with SMA. The costs were higher for type I SMA in all countries. The highest total SMA costs were in the United States, and the lowest in Russian Federation and Spain. Costs excluded new disease-modifying drugs such as nusinersen, risdiplam, and onasemogen abeparvovec in all conducted studies.Conclusions. The social and economic burden of SMA in Russian Federation in 2020 before the introduction of pathogenetic therapy into practice was 2.38 billion RUR/year. The costs of inpatient treatment and rehabilitation were 30.8 and 32.3% of total costs, respectively. These costs, before the introduction of pathogenetic therapy into practice, are lower than in Western Europe and United States, which is most likely since domestic studies used the standards of primary health care for children with SMA implemented in 2012, as well as low indirect costs for SMA in Russian Federation. Unified methodology for assessing the socio-economic significance of orphan diseases is required to carry out HTA of orphan diseases in Russian Federation. It should be based on domestic registries, otherwise on valid data, including those based on data from real clinical practice (RWD /RWE).

A cluster randomized controlled trial for assessing POC-CCA test based praziquantel treatment for schistosomiasis control in pregnant women and their young children: study protocol of the freeBILy clinical trial in Madagascar

BackgroundMass drug administration (MDA) of praziquantel is one of the main control measures against human schistosomiasis. Although there are claims for including pregnant women, infants and children under the age of 5 years in high-endemic regions in MDA campaigns, they are usually not treated without a diagnosis. Diagnostic tools identifying infections at the primary health care centre (PHCC) level could therefore help to integrate these vulnerable groups into control programmes. freeBILy (fast and reliable easy-to-use-diagnostics for eliminating bilharzia in young children and mothers) is an international consortium focused on implementing and evaluating new schistosomiasis diagnostic strategies. In Madagascar, the study aims to determine the effectiveness of a test-based schistosomiasis treatment (TBST) strategy for pregnant women and their infants and children up until the age of 2 years.MethodsA two-armed, cluster-randomized, controlled phase III trial including 5200 women and their offspring assesses the impact of TBST on child growth and maternal haemoglobin in areas of medium to high endemicity of Schistosoma mansoni. The participants are being tested with the point of care-circulating cathodic antigen (POC-CCA) test, a commercially available urine-based non-invasive rapid diagnostic test for schistosomiasis. In the intervention arm, a POC-CCA-TBST strategy is offered to women during pregnancy and 9 months after delivery, for their infants at 9 months of age. In the control arm, study visit procedures are the same, but without the POC-CCA-TBST procedure. All participants are being offered the POC-CCA-TBST 24 months after delivery. This trial is being integrated into the routine maternal and child primary health care programmes at 40 different PHCC in Madagascar’s highlands. The purpose of the trial is to assess the effectiveness of the POC-CCA-TBST for controlling schistosomiasis in young children and mothers.DiscussionThis trial assesses a strategy to integrate pregnant women and their children under the age of 2 years into schistosomiasis control programmes using rapid diagnostic tests. It includes local capacity building for clinical trials and large-scale intervention research.Trial registrationPan-African Clinical Trial Register PACTR201905784271304. Retrospectively registered on 15 May 2019

Ситуационный анализ первичной медицинской помощи детям Украины

Актуальность. В период политических и экономических изменений, длительных военных действий в Украине возник ряд и медико-экологических проблем, которые представляют угрозу для здоровья различных групп населения, в первую очередь детей, состояние здоровья которых является одной из самых острых социальных проблем в Украине. Цель: проведение ретроспективного анализа оказания первичной медицинской помощи детскому населению Украины за период 1990–2018 гг. Материалы и методы. В статье представлены данные ретроспективного анализа оказания первичной медицинской помощи детскому населению в Украине за период 1990–2018 рр. по данным государственной и отраслевой статистики. Применены методы системного подхода, статистическая обработка материала, использованы графические изображения. Результаты. Проведенный анализ показал, что изменения в звене первичной медицинской помощи детскому населению обусловлены состоянием демографической ситуации в стране и реформированием здравоохранения. Установлено, что за годы суверенитета в Украине сохранена доступность медицинских услуг детям на первичном уровне (11,6 посещения на 1 ребенка в год), их профилактическая направленность, достаточный охват лечением детей в условиях дневных стационаров, полнота выявления патологии при профилактических осмотрах, обеспечена положительная динамика грудного вскармливания младенцев. Выводы. В условиях реформирования здравоохранения, развития и внедрения новых медико-организационных технологий, с одной стороны, и дефицита специалистов педиатрического профиля — с другой, приемлемой является комбинированная модель сотрудничества семейных врачей и педиатров. Охрана здоровья детей должна быть определена как приоритетное направление для обеспечения эффективного финансирования этой важной области медицины, усиления внимания к воспроизводству населения и сохранения здоровья поколения, которое рождается. На этом пути разработка и внедрение государственного плана действий «Здоровье детей — старт на всю жизнь» будет существенным вкладом в улучшение демографической ситуации в стране и здоровья детского населения.

Which Children Use School-Based Health Services as a Primary Source of Care?

School-based health centers (SBHCs) offer primary and preventive health care for children and adolescents. Using nationally representative data, we aimed to examine which child and family characteristics are associated with using school-based health care providers as the primary source of health care, and whether care received from these providers met the criteria for a medical home. Using data from the 2016-2018 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH), we analyzed children's usual source of care (school-based provider, doctor's office or clinic, other location, or none), and whether they received care meeting medical home criteria. Based on a sample of 64,710 children, 0.5% identified school-based providers as their primary source of health care. Children who were older, uninsured, or living in the Northeast were significantly more likely to report school-based providers as their usual source of care. Children whose usual source of care was a school-based provider were less likely to receive care meeting medical home criteria than children who usually received care at a doctor's office. While SBHCs improve access to care, our findings indicate potential challenges with establishing a medical home for children who usually receive health care from a school-based provider.

A mixed-methods study exploring adherence to the referral of severely sick children in primary health care in Southern Ethiopia

BackgroundWe have shown that Ethiopian primary healthcare providers refer only half of the severely sick children who, according to guidelines, should get an urgent referral. Frequently parents of referred ill children don’t bring their children to the next level. We aimed to describe the referral of severely ill Ethiopian children based on primary healthcare register reviews and explore health care providers’ and parents’ perceptions regarding factors that hinder or enhance referral.MethodsA mixed-methods study was conducted in 11 districts and a town administration of the Hadiya zone in Ethiopia’s Southern region from May to June 2019. Data collection included interviews and focus group discussions with healthcare providers, key informant interviews with parents of sick children who had been referred, and reviewing registers of sick children treated during the last 12 months at health posts and health centres. We analysed the association between healthcare providers’ and sick children’s characteristics and providers’ compliance with referral guidelines for sick children 0–59 months old. Content analysis was undertaken to explore the perceived factors that influenced referral and adherence to referral from providers’ and parents’ perspectives.ResultsHealthcare providers did not refer nearly half of the severely ill children that should have been referred, according to guidelines. Providers who had received in-service training on child healthcare were more likely to adhere to referral guidelines. The severity of the child’s illness and mobile phone communication and transport availability were perceived to be positively associated with adherence to referral guidelines. Lack of knowledge of treatment guidelines and skills, and high health worker workload, were among the factors perceived to be linked to lower adherence to guidelines. The healthcare providers considered parents of referred sick children as having low compliance with the referral advice. In contrast, parents had the opinion that compliance with a referral for sick children was high. Perceived awareness of severity of the child’s illness, ability to afford referral costs, and availability of transport or ambulance services were perceived to motivate parents to take their children to the referral facility. Traditional illness perceptions, lack of confidence in the referral site’s medical care, and a long distance were perceived to hurdle caregivers’ referral compliance.ConclusionsWe found that the healthcare providers’ adherence to referral guidelines was not optimal. Care providers and parents had divergent opinions on parents’ compliance with referral advice. Factors related to the health system, family economy, and available ambulance services influence whether care providers and parents pursued severely ill children’s referral. Adequate referral of sick children is an aspect of primary healthcare quality that is essential to avoid unnecessary under-five deaths.

Quality of Primary Health Care models for brazilian children

Aim. To evaluate the quality of Primary Health Care (PHC) models for Brazilian children. Methods. A cross-sectional study was performed with 516 parents or guardian of children in the public preschools from a city in São Paulo State, Brazil. The participants completed the questionnaires on the perception of the quality of the PHC (Primary Care Assessment Tool-PCATool), and the socioeconomic conditions in their families. The data were analyzed by statistical tests (95% confidence level). Results. Private services, Family Health Strategies (FHS), and Conventional Health Care (CHC) were the modalities of PHC used by children. Among the three modalities, in all groups were observed statistically significant differences (p<0.001), the best quality of care was provided by FHS (8.22±1.69). The CHC (5.69±1.34) and the private service (6.65±0.99) need improvement in accessibility, continuity of care, integrality, family, and community orientation. The socioeconomic class of the families was associated with modalities of PHC (p<0.001). Conclusions. The quality of primary care for children in the public health system still requires much improvement, primarily in conventional model. However, the Family Health Strategies was the model that presented the best quality of primary health care for children.

Variability in the assessment of children's primary healthcare in 30 European countries.

BackgroundThe high variability in the types and number of measures adopted to evaluate childcare across European countries makes it necessary to investigate country practices to identify trends in setting national priorities in the assessment of child well-being.ObjectiveThis paper intends to investigate country practices under the lens of variability to explore possible trends in setting national priority in the evaluation of childcare. In particular, it analyses variability considering to what extent this depends on the tendency of adopting a broad vision (i.e. selecting measures for a larger variety of aspects) or whether this is influenced by the choice of adopting an in-depth approach (i.e. using more measures to analyse a specific aspect)MethodsAn ad hoc questionnaire was administered to a national expert in each country and yielded 352 measures. To analyse variability, the breadth in the number of aspects considered was explored using a convergence index, while the depth in the distribution of measures in each aspect was investigated by computing a coefficient of variation. Countries were grouped by adopting a hierarchical clustering approach.ResultsThere is a high variability across countries in the selection of measures that cover different aspects of childcare. Preferences in the distribution of measures are significant even at the domain level and in countries that use a limited number of measures and become more evident at the category and sub-category levels. The statistical analysis clusters countries in four main groups and two outliers. The in-depth distribution of measures focused on a specific aspect shows a homogeneous pattern, with the identification of two main groups of countries.ConclusionsA limited set of measures are shared across countries hampering a robust comparison of paediatric models. The selection of measures shows that the evaluation is closely related to national priorities as resulting from the number and types of measures adopted. Moreover, a range of a reasonable number of measures can be hypothesized to address the quality of childcare under a multi-dimensional perspective.

Nursing consultations to children in primary health care: a feedback of researched data.

To report the results of a dissertation developed with nurses who perform childcare consultations in Family Health Units in a Health District of João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil. Experience report of the presentation and interpretation of the research results, in 2018, with 42 nurses, using the conversation strategy with two focus groups. The nurses showed disappointment with the negative results evidenced in the study's feedback, but they highlighted the importance of this moment for discussion and reflection of their practices, thus arousing the interest in qualifying the child's health care. This study achieved the objective of promoting the dissemination of the findings of a research, coupled with the social and ethical commitment to return to the nurses and participating services with the feedback of the research results to improve the reality in which they work.

Tailored communication methods as key to implementation of evidence-based solutions in primary child health care.

BackgroundEvidence-based policies should underpin successful implementation of innovations within child health care. The EU-funded Models of Child Health Appraised project enabled research into effective methods to communicate research evidence. The objective of this study was to identify and categorize methods to communicate evidence-based research recommendations and means to tailor this to stakeholder audiences.MethodsWe conducted an online survey among national stakeholders in child health. Analysis of the most effective strategies to communicate research evidence and reach the target audience was carried out in order to ensure implementation of optimal child health care models at a national level.ResultsRepresentatives of stakeholders from 21 of the then 30 EU MS and EEA countries responded to the questionnaire. Three main approaches in defining the strategies for effective communication of research recommendations were observed, namely: dissemination of information, involvement of stakeholders and active attitude towards change expressed in actions. The target audience for communicating recommendations was divided into two layers: proximal, which includes those who are remaining in close contact with the child, and distal, which contains those who are institutionally responsible for high quality of child health services. They should be recipients of evidence-based results communicated by different formats, such as scientific, administrative, popular and personal.ConclusionsInfluential stakeholders impact the process of effective research dissemination and guide necessary actions to strengthen the process of effective communication of recommendations. Communication of evidence-based results should be targeted to each audience’s profile, both professional and non-professionals, by adjusting appropriate communication formats.

The Need for an Evidence-Based Program in Sweden to Support Parents to Create Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors from the Start of Life-Parental Perceptions.

In Sweden, there have been no interventions promoting the development of healthy lifestyle behaviors starting in infancy. Thus this paper aims to: (i) investigate Swedish parents’ experiences regarding feeding of solid foods, screen time, and physical activity in healthy infants; (ii) investigate parents’ needs and perceptions regarding information/support provided in primary child healthcare (CHC) and (iii) explore whether a parenting program focused on child diet and active play would be relevant and utilized. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 parents. These were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis. Seven themes emerged: Feeling excited to enter a new phase; Parents’ responsibility of doing it “right” can be stressful; Motivated to learn during specific time windows; Information to trust; The importance of social support from peers; Experiences of support received from CHC; and the Infant, Feeding, Activity, and Nutrition Trial (INFANT) for a Swedish context. Parents were excited to enter new phases in their child’s development. However, this came with worry they were doing things “right”, leading parents to want more information/support. Overall, Swedish parents were very positive about the prospects of engaging in a primary CHC delivered program to support them to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors from birth and felt this could complement the care currently provided.

MINISTOP 2.0: a smartphone app integrated in primary child health care to promote healthy diet and physical activity behaviours and prevent obesity in preschool-aged children: protocol for a hybrid design effectiveness-implementation study

BackgroundChildhood obesity is still a major health problem in many countries, including Sweden. Childhood obesity and obesity-related behaviours in childhood, such as low physical activity and unhealthy eating habits, tend to track into adulthood, which highlights the need for early prevention. Our aims are to evaluate whether a parent-oriented mobile health app (the MINISTOP 2.0 app) integrated into primary child health care can improve diet and physical activity behaviours and reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity in preschool-aged children as well as to evaluate the implementation among child health care nurses and parents.MethodsThis trial uses a hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation design. Families (n = 500) who attend a routine visit to one of 15–20 primary child health care centres throughout Sweden, when their child is 2.5 years, are offered participation in a randomised controlled trial (effectiveness evaluation). After acceptance, families will be randomised (1:1) to control or intervention groups. The intervention group receives a 6-month parent-oriented smartphone intervention aimed at improving the dietary and activity behaviours of their child (the MINISTOP 2.0 app) and the control group receives routine child health care. Dietary habits, physical activity and screen time (primary outcomes), body weight and height in children, and parental self-efficacy (secondary outcomes) are measured at baseline and at 6 months post randomisation. Implementation outcomes (i.e. perceived acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility) of the intervention will be assessed among primary child health care nurses and parents in the trial through questionnaires and qualitative interviews.DiscussionThis trial will evaluate whether the MINISTOP 2.0 app can be used in primary child health care to improve diet and physical activity behaviours, and prevent overweight and obesity, in preschool-aged children. If effectiveness is proven, and the MINISTOP 2.0 app is considered acceptable, appropriate and feasible, it can be implemented nationally as part of the preventive strategies to combat childhood obesity provided by routine child health care.Trial registrationThe trial was registered at the Clinicaltrials.gov register platform (ID NCT04147039) on 31 October 2019.