Short videos shown in hospital neonatal rooms may be an effective way to educate first-time fathers about infant care topics such as safe sleep, infant crying, and car safety, according to a pilot study published in the journal Pediatrics Open Science. These topics were selected as common parental knowledge gaps and successful targets of previous educational interventions for mothers.
”New fathers often report feeling like bystanders in medical settings, as parenting support focuses primarily on the mother from pregnancy to postpartum.“The study was supervised by Craig Garfield, M.D., an expert on the role of fathers in child development at the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago,” said Michaela Thompson of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.Our research recognizes the importance of fathers’ involvement in their children’s health from the beginning of fatherhood, especially in the prevention of injury in young children.. ”
Previous research has shown that unintentional injuries caused by unsafe sleep, crying frustration, and unsafe car seats are the leading causes of infant death.
”Our research videos on important injury prevention topics are a novel educational intervention shortly after an infant’s birth that provides a unique opportunity to reach fathers who may not be able to come for their infant’s well-child checkup.” explained Dr. Garfield, who is also a professor of pediatrics and medical social sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.We show that the neonatal unit is indeed a viable environment for father-centered instruction. The father may actually be looking for this type of information at this time.”
The study included 167 first-time fathers of full-term infants. At enrollment, participants completed an initial survey and watched a brief, evidence-based video featuring biological fathers and their 2-week-old infants with educational content provided by a pediatrician or pediatric injury prevention specialist. Participants completed a pre- and post-viewing knowledge survey and additional knowledge and behavior questions 1 week and 1 month after discharge.
The researchers found that fathers’ knowledge about safe sleep and infant crying improved significantly after the video intervention, but that knowledge was not fully maintained after hospital discharge. Knowledge of rear-facing child seat use was high and safe riding in an appropriate child seat was universal among study participants.
”Our findings suggest that home reinforcement or “booster sessions” may be necessary to maintain learning and support behavior, especially in the first year.” said Dr. Garfield.Text messages can be helpful in supporting research retention. In the future, video-based father-focused interventions could be expanded to other clinical settings, such as neonatal intensive care units and well-child visits.. ”
Funding for this project came from the Ascend Aspen Institute Impact Grant.
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Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
