Text4Father Pilot Feasibility, Acceptability Study

NCT ID: NCT04101565

Last Updated: 2025-05-04

Study Results

Results available

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Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

120 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2019-12-26

Study Completion Date

2024-05-31

Brief Summary

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This study evaluates the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of Text4Father among first-time lower income fathers. Half of the participants will receive Text4Father - a text messaging educational program - from mid-pregnancy through 2 months of postnatal age, while the other half will receive usual care.

Detailed Description

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Text4Father, a multi-modal text messaging program, is designed to increase first-time lower income fathers' knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavioral engagement on infant care and parenting. Text4Father consists of 48-weeks of twice weekly texts written at a 5th grade reading level. Texts include resource links and instructions to support behavior change (e.g., videos, infographics), starting mid-pregnancy and continuing through 2 months of postnatal age. Text content was developed using formative research and feedback from the target population, consensus building with experts, and an evidence-based review.

Usual maternity care does not involve expectant fathers in education. Further, while father engagement is widely advocated, few public health and clinical approaches aim to engage expectant fathers during the prenatal period and first months after birth - a critical window of opportunity that has been insufficiently leveraged to promote father engagement when fathers describe being unsure of father role.

Conditions

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Fathers Mhealth Mobile Health Nuclear Family

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

2 groups will be enrolled and randomized to receipt or not receipt of the intervention.
Primary Study Purpose

PREVENTION

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Text4Father

Receipt of twice-weekly texts that include resource links and instructions to support behavior change (e.g., videos, infographics) and start mid-pregnancy and continuing through 2 months of baby's age.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Text4Father

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Receipt of twice-weekly texts that include resource links and instructions to support behavior change (e.g., videos, infographics) and start mid-pregnancy and continuing through 2 months of age.

Usual care

Usual care that is consistent with typical maternity care in involving expectant fathers.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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Text4Father

Receipt of twice-weekly texts that include resource links and instructions to support behavior change (e.g., videos, infographics) and start mid-pregnancy and continuing through 2 months of age.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study
* Self-reported expectant father and pregnant partner (expectant mother)
* Aged ≥18 years
* In a romantic relationship and expect to continue to be in this relationship during the study period
* Able to speak English
* Lower socioeconomic status (SES) (e.g., high school/general education or vocational/trade school or less; or qualify for Medicaid/public insurance, WIC, SNAP, food stamps)
* Access to necessary resources for participating in a technology-based intervention (i.e., cell phone) and willing/able to receive/send texts

Exclusion Criteria

* Individuals who are not able to provide informed consent.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

Johns Hopkins University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Arik V Marcell, MD, MPH

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Johns Hopkins University

Locations

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Johns Hopkins Hospital

Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Marcell AV, Johnson SB, Nelson T, Labrique AB, Eck KV, Skelton S, Aqil A, Gibson D. Protocol for the Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Efficacy Trial of text4FATHER for Improving Underserved Fathers' Involvement in Infant Care. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2021;32(3):1110-1135. doi: 10.1353/hpu.2021.0117.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 34421016 (View on PubMed)

Allport BS, Johnson S, Aqil A, Labrique AB, Nelson T, Kc A, Carabas Y, Marcell AV. Promoting Father Involvement for Child and Family Health. Acad Pediatr. 2018 Sep-Oct;18(7):746-753. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2018.03.011. Epub 2018 Apr 10.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29653255 (View on PubMed)

Allport-Altillo BS, Aqil AR, Nelson T, Johnson SB, Labrique AB, Carabas Y, Marcell AV. Parents' Perspectives on Supporting Father Involvement in African American Families During Pregnancy and Early Infancy. J Natl Med Assoc. 2020 Aug;112(4):344-361. doi: 10.1016/j.jnma.2020.04.002. Epub 2020 May 11.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 32409095 (View on PubMed)

Aqil A, Allport BS, Johnson SB, Nelson T, Labrique AB, Marcell AV. Content to share with expectant fathers: Views of professionals focused on father involvement. Midwifery. 2019 Mar;70:119-126. doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2018.12.018. Epub 2018 Dec 24.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30611921 (View on PubMed)

Provided Documents

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Document Type: Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Document Type: Informed Consent Form

View Document

Other Identifiers

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1R21HD097453-01A1

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

IRB00226367

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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