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Depth and Quality of Recommendations in Popular Sources About How to Play with Infants: Content Analysis
Andrea B Cunha1, Julie M Orlando2, Zainab S Alghamdi2
1Department of Physical Therapy, Munroe Meyer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
Aim:
Systematically evaluate the depth and quality of play recommendations provided in popular sources for parents of infants in the first year of life.
Methods:
This represents the second stage of a larger analysis of educational content available to parents. Two coders (>90% agreement) extracted and coded play activities from popular websites, applications, and books screened from a systematic online search. Depth of instruction variables were extracted. Activity quality was rated based on opportunities for child-initiated movement, problem-solving with objects, and responsive communication.
Results:
4370 play activities from 214 sources were analyzed. Activities were likely to suggest specific ages for infants and that a caregiver be present. Less than half of the activities incorporated toys or provided guidance about how to position or physically support infants. Activity quality was low; most activities did not explicitly encourage parents to provide opportunities for child-initiated movement, problem-solving with objects, or quality communication.
Conclusions:
Parents may encounter a large number of play activities in popular sources, but the depth of instruction and quality of those activities could be improved. Provision of higher-quality education to parents may enhance parent-child play interactions to positively impact parent and child outcomes, especially for children at risk for delays.
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