Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Feb 18, 2021
Date Accepted: Feb 22, 2021
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Effectiveness of the ‘Essential Coaching for Every Mother’ postpartum text message program on maternal psychosocial outcomes: A randomized controlled trial protocol
ABSTRACT
Background:
Women experience changes both physically and psychologically during their transition to motherhood. This is a critical period for women to develop maternal self-efficacy. mHealth interventions may offer a way to reach women during this critical period to offer support and information. Essential Coaching for Every Mother is a text message program that seeks to educate and support women during the first six-week postpartum.
Objective:
The primary implementation objective is to compare the effectiveness of the Essential Coaching for Every Mother program on maternal psychosocial outcomes (self-efficacy, social support, postpartum anxiety, and postpartum depression) immediately after the intervention and six-months postpartum, collectively as well as stratified by parity. The primary implementation objective is to evaluate the implementation extent and quality of Essential Coaching for Every Mother.
Methods:
This is a type I effectiveness-implementation randomized controlled trial. A total of 140 mothers-to-be or new mothers from Nova Scotia will be recruited and randomized to the intervention or control arm, stratified by parity. The intervention arm will receive the Essential Coaching for Every Mother program, which consists of 53 messages sent twice a day for the first two weeks and daily for weeks three through six. The control group will receive their usual care. Messages are personalized based on the infant’s age, women’s self-selected preference for breastfeeding/formula feeding, and tailored with the infant’s name and gender. Women can enroll if they are 37+ week pregnant or within 10 days postpartum with the first message designed to start the second evening after birth. Actual messages sent will be based on infants’ date of birth. Participants complete questionnaires assessing self-efficacy, social support, postpartum depression and anxiety at baseline (enrollment after birth), 6-weeks (post-intervention), and 6-months postpartum. Implementation outcomes are collected throughout and at six-weeks postpartum.
Results:
Recruitment for this study started January 5, 2021.
Conclusions:
This study will assess the effectiveness of a postpartum text message program to improve maternal self-efficacy and social support while decreasing postpartum depression and anxiety. It will also shed light into the implementation effectiveness of the program. Clinical Trial: Clincaltrials.gov NCT04730570
Citation
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