Randomized controlled trial of primary care pediatric parenting programs: effect on reduced media exposure in
Alan L Mendelsohn1, Benard P Dreyer, Carolyn A Brockmeyer
1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Bellevue Hospital Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA. alm5@nyu.edu
Objectives:
To determine whether pediatric primary care-based programs to enhance parenting and early child development reduce media exposure and whether enhanced parenting mediates the effects.
Design:
Randomized controlled trial.
Setting:
Urban public hospital pediatric primary care clinic.
Participants:
A total of 410 mother-newborn dyads enrolled after childbirth.
Interventions:
Patients were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 interventions, the Video Interaction Project (VIP) and Building Blocks (BB) interventions, or to a control group. The VIP intervention comprised 1-on-1 sessions with a child development specialist who facilitated interactions in play and shared reading through review of videotapes made of the parent and child on primary care visit days; learning materials and parenting pamphlets were also provided. The BB intervention mailed parenting materials, including age-specific newsletters suggesting activities to facilitate interactions, learning materials, and parent-completed developmental questionnaires (Ages and Stages questionnaires).
Outcome Measures:
Electronic media exposure in the home using a 24-hour recall diary.
Results:
The mean (SD) exposure at 6 months was 146.5 (125.0) min/d. Exposure to VIP was associated with reduced total duration of media exposure compared with the BB and control groups (mean [SD] min/d for VIP, 131.6 [118.7]; BB, 151.2 [116.7]; control, 155.4 [138.7]; P = .009). Enhanced parent-child interactions were found to partially mediate relations between VIP and media exposure for families with a ninth grade or higher literacy level (Sobel statistic = 2.49; P = .01).
Conclusion:
Pediatric primary care may represent an important venue for addressing the public health problem of media exposure in young children at a population level.
Trial Registration:
clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00212576.
