Parental Perceptions of Early Childhood In-Home Research with Monitoring: A Qualitative Study

To explore perceptions, concerns, and enthusiasm from a diverse group of parents regarding early childhood research that involves home monitoring technologies for collecting environmental exposure data.

A diverse group of new and expecting parents participated in semi-structured interviews. A single interviewer conducted all sessions and introduced a hypothetical longitudinal early childhood research study, which included the following novel home monitoring approaches: (1) wearable devices, (2) audio monitoring, and (3) environmental sampling. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded. Qualitative description guided the study, and a constant comparative approach was used to identify themes from transcripts.

Twenty-four interviews were completed. Emerging themes included the following: (1) Ready and Willing to Participate; (2) Helping Others, Helping Ourselves: Motivation for Participation; (3) Trust and Transparency: Understanding the "What?" and the "Why?;" (4) Data Privacy and Security: "What If It Gets into the Wrong Hands?;" and (5) It's a Lot to Juggle: Logistical Realities. Perceptions were similar across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. Perceptions were positive, and participants desired additional information about study feasibility and purpose. Many had concerns related to wearable device safety and data privacy; a trusting relationship with the research team was a priority.

Participants had positive sentiments regarding longitudinal observational studies involving pregnancy and infancy yet expressed concerns about safety, privacy, feasibility, and transparency. These findings can inform future early childhood research study design to ensure protocols are transparent, inclusive, and appealing to parents.