A WeChat-based Intervention to Support Breastfeeding
1 other identifier
interventional
1,000
1 country
1
Brief Summary
The aim of the randomized controlled trial (RCT) is to evaluate the effects of an intervention program delivered via WeChat platform to support exclusive breastfeeding in China. WeChat, a free smart phone application, is the most popular social networking platform in China. It will be used to deliver health educational messages to the study participants. Our hypothesis is that the intervention program can lead to at least a 10% increase in exclusive breastfeeding prevalence at 6 months when compared to the control group. A multicenter RCT of 1,000 participants will be conducted at four maternity hospitals in Chengdu, China. Eligible pregnant women who consent to participate will be recruited from the antenatal clinic at around 30 weeks of gestation and will be randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group on a 1:1 ratio. After randomization, all participants will be asked to scan a Quick Response code to follow our WeChat public account, which can send push notifications to alert participants for new content, topics, links to a searchable library and frequently asked questions and answers. From baseline until childbirth, control group participants will receive non-breastfeeding related messages, such as healthy lifestyle and nutrition during pregnancy, from WeChat, whereas the intervention group participants will receive breastfeeding related messages, including preparation for breastfeeding after birth and the health benefits of breastfeeding, from WeChat. After childbirth, intervention group mothers will continue to receive information about breastfeeding for 6 months. The investigators will use WeChat to remind mothers about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding, build confidence and motivate them to continue exclusive breastfeeding. Meanwhile, the control group participants will receive information on other topics of interest to mothers, such as immunization, safety, infant growth, and etc. Each participant will be interviewed in person by trained nurses at baseline, at discharge and be interviewed by telephone using structured questionnaires at 1, 4, and 6 months postpartum to collect detailed information on breastfeeding practices. All participants receive normal prenatal and postpartum maternity services. Cox proportional hazard models and multilevel mixed regression models will be performed respectively to compare the duration of exclusive breastfeeding and the rates of exclusive breastfeeding within six months postpartum between intervention and control groups.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P75+ for not_applicable
Started Jun 2020
Typical duration for not_applicable
1 active site
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
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Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
Study Start
First participant enrolled
June 28, 2020
CompletedFirst Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
July 28, 2020
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
August 5, 2020
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
December 31, 2021
CompletedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
December 31, 2022
CompletedAugust 5, 2020
August 1, 2020
1.5 years
July 28, 2020
August 3, 2020
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (2)
Exclusive breastfeeding rate at 6 months postpartum
Breastfeeding while giving no other food or liquid, not even water, with the exception of drops or syrups consisting of vitamins, mineral supplements or medicines.
6 months postpartum
Full breastfeeding rate at 6 months postpartum
Infants who are receiving almost all of their nutrients from breast milk but take some other liquids such as water, water-based drinks, oral rehydration solutions, ritual fluids, and drops or syrups.
6 months postpartum
Secondary Outcomes (5)
Infant's first feed
0-7 days postpartum
Exclusive breastfeeding duration to 4 months postpartum
0-4 months postpartum
Exclusive breastfeeding duration to 6 months postpartum
0-6 months postpartum
Rate of early introduction of complementary feeding
0-4 months postpartum
Any breastfeeding duration to 6 months postpartum
0-6 months postpartum
Study Arms (2)
Intervention group
EXPERIMENTALParticipants receive breastfeeding-related information from WeChat
Control group
ACTIVE COMPARATORParticipants receive non-breastfeeding information from WeChat
Interventions
Participants in the intervention group will be asked to follow our WeChat public account immoderately after randomization. They will receive breastfeeding related messages three times a week from WeChat, including preparation for breastfeeding after birth and the health benefits of breastfeeding, from baseline until childbirth. After childbirth, intervention group mothers will continue to receive information, which is mainly about breastfeeding, once a week for 6 months. WeChat will send push notifications to remind mothers about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding, build confidence and motivate them to continue exclusive breastfeeding.
Participants in the control group will be asked to follow our WeChat public account immoderately after randomization. They will receive messages mainly on topics of healthy lifestyle and nutrition during pregnancy, from baseline until childbirth. After childbirth, they will continue to receive information on other topics of interest to mothers, such as immunization, safety, infant growth, and etc., until 6 months postpartum.
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- own a smart phone;
- years or above;
- sufficient language skills (completed secondary school education);
- carry a singleton fetus;
- at a gestational age of 28 to 30 weeks;
You may not qualify if:
- have existing medical conditions or pregnancy complications which may inhibit breastfeeding initiation, according to their medical doctor;
- intend to give birth in health institutes other than the study hospitals.
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
Study Sites (1)
Chengdu Qingyang Maternal and Child Health Hospital
Chengdu, China
Related Publications (1)
Tang L, Lee AH, Binns CW, Duan L, Liu Y, Li C. WeChat-based intervention to support breastfeeding for Chinese mothers: protocol of a randomised controlled trial. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2020 Nov 19;20(1):300. doi: 10.1186/s12911-020-01322-8.
PMID: 33213446DERIVED
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Study Officials
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Li Tang, PhD
Chengdu Jinjiang Maternity and Child Health Hospital
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- TRIPLE
- Who Masked
- PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
- Purpose
- HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
- PI Title
- Assistant Professor
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
July 28, 2020
First Posted
August 5, 2020
Study Start
June 28, 2020
Primary Completion
December 31, 2021
Study Completion
December 31, 2022
Last Updated
August 5, 2020
Record last verified: 2020-08
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will not share