Leveraging Technology and Behavioral Science Insights to Promote Development in the Early Years: The Effect of a Remote Assistance and Messaging Program to Sustain Parental Behaviors Over Time

Last registered on June 14, 2022
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Leveraging Technology and Behavioral Science Insights to Promote Development in the Early Years: The Effect of a Remote Assistance and Messaging Program to Sustain Parental Behaviors Over Time
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0008702
Initial registration date
June 13, 2022

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
June 14, 2022, 1:30 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country
Uruguay
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Juanita Bloomfield
Affiliation
Universidad de Montevideo
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Ana Balsa
PI Affiliation
Universidad de Montevideo
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PI Name
Alejandro Cid
PI Affiliation
Universidad de Montevideo
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PI Name
Philip Oreopoulos
PI Affiliation
University of Toronto
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Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2021-12-06
End date
2024-03-31
Keywords
Behavior, Education
Additional Keywords
Early Childhood, Parental Investment, Behavioral Economics
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
In this project we will design, implement and evaluate e-messaging modules of different lengths aimed at families with children between the ages of 0 and 3 at the onset of the program. The program will be built on top of a 16-week tele-assistance intervention that will be implemented by a government agency in Uruguay.

The phone calls will provide families with advice and guidance on parenting practices, health and nutrition, and will articulate the different local resources that families have access to. This will be combined with three non-consecutive e-messaging modules with: (i) information on positive parenting topics covered in the phone calls, (ii) suggestions for activities to be carried out at home, (iii) motivation, and (iv) feedback on performance. The content of the messages seeks to mitigate suboptimal decisions caused by present bias, parental role complexity, cognitive fatigue, and the influence of negative identities.

The results of this project will generate a better understanding of the ability of a program that combines phone calls and e-messages to sustain behaviors and habits over time and will allow the design of more effective and cost-efficient programs, both in the area of parenting and in other behavioral areas (health, nutrition, education).
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Balsa, Ana et al. 2022. "Leveraging Technology and Behavioral Science Insights to Promote Development in the Early Years: The Effect of a Remote Assistance and Messaging Program to Sustain Parental Behaviors Over Time." AEA RCT Registry. June 14. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.8702-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2022-05-23
Intervention End Date
2023-09-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
1. Child's education and health
a) Enrollment in an early childhood center
b) Wellness checkups and vaccinations
c) Height
d) Weight

2. Parenting Practices
a) Parental involvement: the questionnaire is subdivided into three scales related to the frequency of involvement in physical play with the child, didactic activities with the child, and socialization activities with the child.
b) Parental use of positive parenting practices in everyday life: E2P affectivity subscale. The questionnaire identifies affectivity in the way adults relate to their children. Items vary according to the child’s age.
c) Barriers to involvement in parenting practices that the caregiver perceives

3. Family life and emotional state of the referents
a) Father's involvement in child rearing practices
b) Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D): is a screening instrument
for the detection of depression cases based on their symptomatology during the last week.

4. Language interaction between child and caregiver measured using audio techniques
a) Quantity: Counts and vocalizations for both the child and the adult
b) Quality: Number of conversational turns, pitch range and pitch average of adult vocalizations
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
We are interested in collecting child development outcomes as well.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The intervention will be evaluated using a Randomized Control Trial. Families will be randomly divided into two treatment arms and one control arm. The first treatment group will receive calls and messages during a single four-months period. The second treatment group will receive calls and messages during the first four-months and will receive two additional non-consecutive modules of messages. The control group will not receive parenting advice through tele-assistance or messages.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
Family
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
900 families
Sample size: planned number of observations
900 families
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
300 families
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Ethics committee of Universidad de Montevideo
IRB Approval Date
2021-06-11
IRB Approval Number
CE 2021/2
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials