Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Jan 8, 2021
Date Accepted: Nov 10, 2021
Date Submitted to PubMed: Jul 18, 2022
Development of a Supportive Parenting Application to improve parent and infant outcomes in the perinatal period: Development study
ABSTRACT
Background:
The transition to parenthood can be challenging and increases vulnerability of both parents to psychological disorders in the perinatal period. This could have adverse long-term consequences on the child’s development. Given the rise in technology and parents’ preferences for mobile health apps, an mobile health supportive intervention will be optimal. Moreover, there is a lack of theoretical framework and technology-based perinatal educational intervention for couples with healthy infants.
Objective:
To describe the Supportive Parenting Application (SPA) development procedure, and to highlight challenges and lessons learnt.
Methods:
The intervention was developed based on Bandura’s Social Cognitive theory and Bowlby’s Attachment theory. The admin portal was developed using Microsoft Visual Studio 2017 while the SPA mobile app which ran on both iOS and Android, was developed using Hybrid Development Tools (Apache Cordova and Ionic Frameworks). The SPA featured knowledge-based content, informational videos and audio, discussion forum, chat groups, and a frequently asked questions and expert’s advice section. The intervention was tested by research team members and qualitative feedback was obtained for further app enhancements before official implementation.
Results:
Ineffective communication between healthcare research team and app developers, limited resources, and the coronavirus pandemic were the main challenges faced during content development. Testing revealed user and technological issues such as web browser and app incompatibility, lack of notifications for both admin and user, limited search engine, and additional app enhancements which incurred additional cost.
Conclusions:
Quick adaptability, team cohesion, and hindsight budgeting were crucial for intervention development. Although the effectiveness of SPA in improving parental and infant outcomes are currently unknown, this detailed intervention development study highlights the key aspects that need to be considered for future app development.
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