JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The first year of life represents a critical period for infant neurodevelopment, during which timely stimulation and responsive caregiving can positively influence motor, cognitive, sensory, and socioemotional outcomes. Parents and caregivers play a central role in providing these developmental experiences; however, many report uncertainty regarding age-appropriate stimulation strategies and often rely on information from digital sources of variable quality and scientific accuracy. Mobile health (mHealth) technologies have emerged as promising tools to deliver evidence-based health education, increase access to reliable information, and support caregiver engagement in child health. Despite the growing availability of parenting applications, few have been systematically developed and their educational content validated through rigorous scientific methods before implementation. Developing and validating evidence-based educational technologies before implementation is essential to ensure content quality, scientific credibility, and the safe dissemination of health information to families.

Objective:

This study aimed to develop and validate the content of Estímula Baby, an evidence-based mobile health (mHealth) educational mHealth app prototype designed to support parents and caregivers in promoting infant neurodevelopment during the first year of life.

Methods:

A methodological study was conducted to develop and validate the content of the Estímula Baby mobile health (mHealth) application prototype. Evidence-based guidance was developed from a comprehensive literature review and organized to support parents and caregivers of healthy term and preterm infants in promoting infant neurodevelopment during the first year of life. Content validation was performed using a two-round Delphi process involving a multidisciplinary panel of pediatricians, pediatric physiotherapists, information technology professionals, and parents/caregivers. Consensus was assessed using the Content Validity Index (CVI), and iterative revisions were implemented according to participants’ feedback until the predefined validation criteria were achieved.

Results:

The Estímula Baby mobile health (mHealth) application prototype was successfully developed and refined through a two-round Delphi process involving 13 participants, including pediatricians, pediatric physiotherapists, information technology professionals, and parents/caregivers. Feedback obtained during the validation process supported iterative improvements to the application’s educational content and structure. The final version achieved excellent content validity, with a global Content Validity Index (CVI) of 0.97, demonstrating a high level of agreement regarding the relevance, clarity, and adequacy of the information provided. The validated prototype demonstrated satisfactory content validity to support future implementation and evaluation as an evidence-based educational mHealth resource for parents and caregivers.

Conclusions:

The development and content validation of Estímula Baby resulted in an evidence-based mobile health (mHealth) educational mHealth app prototype with excellent content validity. This study establishes a foundation for the future implementation and evaluation of a scientifically validated digital health resource designed to support parents and caregivers in promoting infant neurodevelopment during the first year of life.