Enhancing parental health knowledge through digital knowledge mobilisation tools: a randomised controlled trial and...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Health Communication
• Digital Health Interventions
• Knowledge Translation

Background:

• Choosing Wisely Canada (CWC) aims to reduce unnecessary medical tests and treatments for common childhood conditions.
• Effectiveness of digital tools for disseminating health information to parents requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of blogshots, an image-based tool, in enhancing parental knowledge and managing expectations regarding CWC recommendations for childhood illnesses.
• To assess the usability and impact of blogshots on parental intentions and actions related to managing common childhood conditions.

Main Methods:

• A multimethod study involving a randomized controlled trial and qualitative interviews with parents of children under 5 years old.
• Participants received weekly blogshots on CWC topics over 3 weeks, with knowledge assessed at baseline and follow-up points (weeks 5, 3 months, 6 months).
• Qualitative interviews explored participants' experiences and perceptions of the blogshots.

Main Results:

• Blogshot recipients demonstrated significantly higher immediate post-intervention knowledge scores compared to the control group (p<0.001, d=0.30).
• No significant differences in knowledge were observed at later follow-up points (3 and 6 months).
• Parents found blogshots aesthetically pleasing, easy to understand, and intended to share them, indicating potential for behavior change.

Conclusions:

• Blogshots serve as an effective tool for rapidly disseminating child health information to parents.
• The online nature of blogshots allows for scalability to international levels and applicability to diverse global health topics.