Parenting Course for Child Health

Recruiting at 1 trial location

Overseen By Michelle Mitchell

Age: < 18

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: The Hospital for Sick Children

Disqualifiers: Severe developmental delay, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 8

Duration: 8 weeks

128 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores whether a program called Parents Together can improve children's health by supporting their parents through virtual group sessions and coaching calls. The program focuses on promoting healthier lifestyle choices, stronger family bonds, and better mental health for children. The trial includes two groups: one receives the program, while the other continues with regular healthcare. Families with children already in the TARGet Kids! study who speak English are ideal participants, especially if they aim to foster positive changes in family dynamics. As an unphased trial, this study offers families a unique opportunity to contribute to research that could enhance family well-being and children's health.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What prior data suggests that the Parents Together program is safe for children?

Research shows that participants generally find the Parents Together program easy to manage. This program includes online group sessions and coaching calls for parents, focusing on improving parenting skills and promoting healthy family habits.

Studies on similar parenting programs have not reported any major negative effects. The Parents Together program aims to strengthen family relationships and enhance children's well-being. It includes direct interaction with a Public Health Nurse, allowing customization to each family's needs.

The trial is labeled as "Not Applicable" in terms of phase, indicating that the program is non-invasive, with a very low risk of harm. Overall, evidence supports the safety of joining this type of educational and supportive program. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the Parents Together program because it offers a fresh approach to improving child health by empowering caregivers. Unlike regular health care, this program provides an 8-week virtual education course led by a Public Health Nurse, which is designed to enhance parenting skills and knowledge. Additionally, the program includes personalized coaching calls, helping parents apply what they've learned and connect with community resources. This holistic and interactive method aims to equip parents with practical tools and support, potentially leading to more effective and sustainable improvements in child health outcomes.

What evidence suggests that the Parents Together program is effective for improving child health outcomes?

Research has shown that the Parents Together program, which participants in this trial may receive, helps children develop healthy habits. In past studies, children in this program showed small-to-medium improvements in their growth. Another study found that the program's online sessions and coaching calls worked just as well as in-person meetings. The program focuses on building strong family relationships and supporting children's development and mental health, which are important for improving overall child health. These findings suggest that joining the Parents Together program could lead to healthier lifestyle choices and better family interactions. ^{1 4 6 7 8}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Catherine Birken, MD, MSc

Principal Investigator

The Hospital for Sick Children

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for parents who want to improve their children's health outcomes. It focuses on encouraging healthy lifestyle behaviors, strengthening family relationships, and promoting child development and mental health through a program led by a Public Health Nurse.

Inclusion Criteria

My family and I can communicate in English.

Child enrolled in the The Applied Reearch Group for Kids (TARGet Kids!) cohort study

Exclusion Criteria

Children with a sibling already enrolled in the study

My child has a severe developmental delay or disability.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants receive an 8-week virtual parent/caregiver education program and up to 4 public health nurse coaching calls

8 weeks

8 group sessions (virtual), up to 4 coaching calls (virtual)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for health outcomes, including eating behaviours, physical activity, and psychosocial health

6 months

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Parents Together program

Trial Overview

The 'Parents Together' parenting course is being tested. This includes virtual group sessions with other parents and coaching calls designed to support parents in fostering healthy habits in their children.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Intervention/treatment Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

One or two caregivers of each enrolled child will attend an 8-week virtual parent/caregiver education program delivered by a Public Health Nurse. Additionally, the Public Health Nurse will deliver up to 4 individual coaching calls designed to address participant-identified goals related to the group content. The coaching calls will focus on helping to apply the messages and skills from the group sessions and making community connections.

Group II: Control Active Control 1 Intervention

Participants randomized to the control group receive regular health care.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

The Hospital for Sick Children

Lead Sponsor

Trials

724

Recruited

6,969,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

The Parent-to-Parent program is a home-based initiative that provides long-term support to adolescent parents through trained volunteers, aiming to improve parent-child interactions and help parents access necessary services.

The program also focuses on increasing community involvement and empowering parents to plan for their futures, addressing the broader developmental needs often overlooked in traditional prenatal and neonatal care.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Community support for adolescent parents and their children: The parent-to-parent program in Vermont. Halpern, R., Covey, L.[2021]

A parent consultant program in pediatric rheumatology effectively engaged parents of children with rheumatic diseases, with 87% of surveyed parents finding their interactions with consultants helpful.

The program demonstrated that peer support from parent consultants significantly enhances family involvement in healthcare, with 98% of respondents recommending the service to other parents.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Parents of children with rheumatic disease as peer counselors. DeNardo, BA., Stebulis, JA., Tucker, LB., et al.[2019]

The Parent and Infant (PIN) program is designed to enhance parental competence and improve parent-infant relationships for families with infants aged 0-2 years, aiming to promote overall family health and wellbeing.

This process evaluation, part of a controlled trial, will utilize various methods like interviews and surveys to assess how the program is implemented and its effectiveness, providing valuable insights for integrating such interventions into community services.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Understanding the implementation and effectiveness of a group-based early parenting intervention: a process evaluation protocol. Hickey, G., McGilloway, S., Furlong, M., et al.[2022]

The innovative service program for adolescent mothers, conducted at Cincinnati General Hospital, focuses on improving parenting skills through weekly classes until the infants are six months old, covering health, nutrition, and infant stimulation.

The program has shown positive outcomes, as evidenced by increased maternal knowledge, improved maternal-infant interactions, and favorable feedback from both mothers and professionals involved.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Education for adolescent mothers in a hospital setting. Badger, E., Burns, D., Rhoads, B.[2019]

The project promotes individual responsibility for personal health and the health of children, emphasizing the importance of self-care in parenting.

The 'parenting group' serves as a resource hub, equipping parents and caregivers with information and skills to enhance their ability to care for young children effectively.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Setting up a parenting group. McConville, A.[2004]

Parents of children with medical complexity reported high satisfaction with healthcare delivery both before and after the implementation of telehealth services, indicating that telehealth did not negatively impact their experiences.

The school serving children with medical complexity had a significantly higher utilization of telehealth services compared to 12 other schools, suggesting that telehealth is a valuable resource for this population.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Implementing school based telehealth for children with medical complexity. Cormack, CL., Garber, K., Cristaldi, K., et al.[2018]

The development of multi-institutional databases for pediatric and congenital cardiac disease allows for comprehensive analyses that enhance quality improvement initiatives in healthcare.

Parents play a crucial role in the healthcare team, and fostering a culture of transparency and effective communication can empower them to contribute to quality improvement efforts in their children's care.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Outcomes analysis and quality improvement for the treatment of patients with pediatric and congenital cardiac disease. Jacobs, JP., Pasquali, SK., Jeffries, H., et al.[2013]

Both closed and open group formats for positive parenting programs led to significant improvements in parental outcomes, indicating that the format does not affect the effectiveness of the intervention.

Despite open groups having higher-risk families, all participants showed similar statistically significant improvements, supporting the flexibility of adapting group formats to meet community needs.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Open groups: adaptations in implementing a parent training program. Brock, DJ., Marek, LI., Matteo-Kerney, C., et al.[2021]

The At Risk Parent Child Program is designed to prevent poor parenting and child abuse by coordinating community resources and providing multiple specialized services in a neutral location, such as an ambulatory pediatric clinic.

The program emphasizes early identification and assessment of at-risk families during prenatal and perinatal periods, utilizing both formal and informal screening methods to ensure that families receive tailored interventions based on their specific needs.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Families at risk of poor parenting: a model for service delivery, assessment, and intervention. Ayoub, C., Jacewitz, MM.[2019]

Citations

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The aim of this study is to determine if 18–48-month-old children at risk for obesity, who are randomized to receive the Parents Together ...

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The Parents Together trial aims to determine if the Parents Together program consisting of virtual parent group sessions and coaching calls, ...

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Parenting Course for Child Health

The Parents Together program is unique because it offers virtual group sessions and coaching calls for parents, focusing on enhancing parental skills and ...

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Randomized controlled trial evaluating a virtual parenting ...

The aim of this study is to determine if 18–48-month-old children at risk for obesity, who are randomized to receive the Parents Together program (i.e., ...

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Two RCTs showed small-to-medium positive effects on child development. One study showed not inferior effect compared to traditional support. ...

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The program treats parents and children as dyads and involves live coaching of parenting behaviors with both parent and child together in a group environment.

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The purpose of the study is to determine whether parent training with the Incredible Years Parent Program delivered in pediatric primary care decreases ...

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Family Check-Up Online effects on parenting and ...

The current study evaluates the efficacy of a mobile app-based parenting support program, the Family Check-Up Online (FCU-O) with telehealth coaching support, ...