Healthy Start Home Visit Program - school-based approach

ISRCTN ISRCTN16238864
DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN16238864
Secondary identifying numbers EDB/QEF 22/17/14
Submission date
13/06/2016
Registration date
21/07/2016
Last edited
07/08/2018
Recruitment status
No longer recruiting
Overall study status
Completed
Condition category
Other
Prospectively registered
Protocol
Statistical analysis plan
Results
Individual participant data

Plain English summary of protocol

Background and study aims
The Healthy Start Home Visit Program has been developed to promote the health of preschool children. It does this by helping school teachers and parents work together on a program offering ways to improve child health (focusing on nutrition, activities, safety in the home and dental health), learning (for example, reading), child behaviour and parenting skills. This study aims to adapt this program into a school-based parent training program, to empower pre-primary parents with parenting needs to effectively promote healthy life styles for their pre-primary children.

Who can participate?
Parents identified as having parenting needs and their children.

What does the study involve?
The schools taking part in the study are randomly allocated to one of two groups. Those in group 1 (the control group) carry on as usual. Those in group 2 (intervention group) undergo the Healthy Start Home Visit Program. The program is delivered through school-based parent training programs, with parent ambassadors (PA) as assistants. The program first facilitates PAs to develop skills and knowledge in enhancing children’s healthy life styles. This is followed by the training so-called Healthy Start Parents (HSP) HSPs are parents that are in need of support (have parenting needs) and have children who are attending pre-primary institutions. Priority is given for disadvantaged families. Each institution has 1 school representative, either teacher or school social worker, to participate in the PA training and assist in HSP school-based program. Assessments take place before the start of the program, after the program completes and then six months later. These include for example, tests of parenting stress and how supported they feel, child behaviour, and child learning.

What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Not provided at time of registration

Where is the study run from?
Twenty pre-primary institutions, Hong Kong.

When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
July 2016 to August 2017

Who is funding the study?
Quality Education Fund (Hong Kong)

Who is the main contact?
1. Ms Yin Kwan Heung (public)
2. Ms Cynthia Leung (scientific)

Contact information

Ms Yin Kwan Heung
Public

2/F, Tseng choi Street Government Complex, 27 Tseng Choi Street, Tuen Mun, N.T.
Hong Kong
852
China

Ms Cynthia Leung
Scientific

Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Hong Kong
852
China

ORCiD logoORCID ID 0000-0002-6070-8794

Study information

Study designCluster randomized controlled trial
Primary study designInterventional
Secondary study designCluster randomised trial
Study setting(s)School
Study typePrevention
Participant information sheet ISRCTN16238864_PIS_30Jun16.pdf
Scientific titleEvaluation of Healthy Start Home Visit Program - school-based approach in disadvantaged families
Study acronymHSHVP
Study objectivesThe Healthy Start Home Visit Program (HSHVP)- School Approach can enhance parents' competence and confidence in promoting their pre-school children's development in physical, cognitive and psychosocial aspects.
Ethics approval(s)Human Subjects Ethics Sub-Committee of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 02/06/2016
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studiedAssessment includes pre and post intervention and follow-up tests of parenting stress, parent general efficacy, parent perceived social support, child behaviour, and child learning, parent feeding practice, oral health practice. Moreover, sense of efficacy for school representatives, either school teachers or social workers, will also be assessed.
InterventionSchools are randomly assigned to one of two groups - the intervention group and the control group (business as usual)

The intervention includes 2 parts:

Part I: intensive parent ambassador (PA) training -it aims to facilitate PAs to develop skills and knowledge in helping parents enhance children’s healthy life styles, in physical, cognitive and psychosocial aspects.

Part II: Healthy Start Parent (HSP) school-based program - Provide training to 200 parents through 12 taught sessions, 2 revision sessions and 3 joint-school talks. The parent training will be conducted by project workers and an educational psychologist, assisted by PAs who completed the training in Part I. The content of the program includes the following domains:
1. Psychosocial areas - parent-child relationship, praise, reward, increasing positive behaviours, decreasing inappropriate behaviours
2. Cognitive areas – reading and language skills, preschool concepts
3. Physical areas – nutrition, physical exercises, learning through play (conducted in talks) and home safety (by one-off home visit or individual consultation)
4. Each 2 hour taught session will include feedback on the activities the week before, teaching of each protocol session, role play to practise working on the worksheets and activities and conclusion
5. Revision sessions - 2 hands-on practice sessions will be held to enhance HSP’s skills in establishing child relationship and reading
Intervention typeBehavioural
Primary outcome measureBoth parent ambassadors and Healthy Start Parents' outcomes will be measured:

Part I. The PAs will be assessed using standardized questionnaires both before and after training, and after delivery of the Healthy Start Parent training program, to examine the changes in:
1. Parenting stress (Parenting Stress Index)
2. Parent general efficacy (GSE)
3. Parent perceived social support (Duke-UNC Functional Social Support Questionnaire)
4. Child behaviour (Eyberg Child Behaviour Inventory)

Part II. Assessment for HSPs includes pre and post HSP training and follow-up tests of:
1. Parenting stress (Parenting Stress Index)
2. Parent general efficacy (GSE)
3. Parent perceived social support (Duke-UNC Functional Social Support Questionnaire)
4. Child behaviour (Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory)
5. Child learning
6. Parent feeding practice
7. Oral health practice

The above tests will be administered before (pre) and after program completion (post) and 6 months after program completion (follow-up)
Secondary outcome measures1. Co-working school teachers/ social workers' efficacy before PA training and after HSP school-based program, using the questionnaire adapted from Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale – short form
2. Parent participation in school activities, parent-teacher meetings and parent practice of exercises at home, assessed using a log that will be kept for those participating in the program
3. Parents views in relation to the program materials, activities and delivery format, collected through focus groups
Overall study start date01/07/2016
Completion date31/08/2017

Eligibility

Participant type(s)Other
Age groupOther
SexBoth
Target number of participants200 parents will be recruited from 20 pre-primary institutions
Key inclusion criteriaThe PA and HSP must meet the following criteria:
1. The participating parent show parenting needs
2. Can read Chinese and have children who are attending pre-primary institutions
3. The parent and the children should normally reside in Hong Kong

Priorities are given to HSPs from disadvantaged families, including single-parent families, Mainland new arrivals and low-income families.
Key exclusion criteria1. Parents with children having major developmental problems
2. History of domestic violence
3. Drug abuse
4. Mental illness in the family
Date of first enrolment01/07/2016
Date of final enrolment30/09/2016

Locations

Countries of recruitment

  • Hong Kong

Study participating centres

Rock of Ages Lutheran Kindergarten
852
Hong Kong
Tsuen Wan Our Lady Kindergarten
852
Hong Kong
Tsing Yi Trade Association Kindergarten
852
Hong Kong
Kowloon Rhenish School and Kindergarten
852
Hong Kong
Sham Shui Po Baptist Church Kindergarten
852
Hong Kong
HKCS Shek Kip Mei Nursery School
852
Hong Kong
Kin Sang Baptist Church Bradbury Pre-School
852
Hong Kong
Guideposts Kindergarten 2nd Branch (Kin Sang Estate)
852
Hong Kong
Karlam Kindergarten (Tuen Mun Branch)
852
Hong Kong
Hoh Fuk Tong Kindergarten (Tuen Mun Church, CCC, HK Council)
852
Hong Kong
CCC Tuen Mun Church Kindergarten
852
Hong Kong
Lok Sin Tong Tang Tak Lim Kindergarten
852
Hong Kong
Yan Chai Hospital Ming Tak Kindergarten
852
Hong Kong
POH Mrs Chu Kwok King Memorial Kindergarten
852
Hong Kong
Yuen Long Church (CCC) Long Ping Estate Chan Kwong Kindergarten
852
Hong Kong
NAAC Yuen Long Day Nursery
852
Hong Kong
HKCS Tin Heng Nursery School
852
Hong Kong
Yuen Long Merchants Association Kindergarten
852
Hong Kong
Tai Po Rhenish Church Kindergarten 
852
Hong Kong
Tai Po Baptist Kindergarten Wan Tau Tong Estate Branch
852
Hong Kong
NAAC Fanling Day Nursery
852
Hong Kong
Dawning Views Elementi English Kindergarten
852
Hong Kong
CCWF King Shing Kindergarten
852
Hong Kong

Sponsor information

Quality Education Fund
Government

Room 3602, 36/F, Hopewell Centre
183 Queen's Road East, Wanchai
Hong Kong
852
China

Phone 2921 8833
Email qefenq@edb.gov.hk
Website http://qef.org.hk

Funders

Funder type

Charity

Quality Education Fund (Hong Kong)

No information available

Results and Publications

Intention to publish date31/12/2017
Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to shareNo
IPD sharing plan summaryNot expected to be made available
Publication and dissemination planA 2-day mass training come knowledge exchange seminar will be held to disseminate project evaluation data and experience sharing for parent educators and the public.
IPD sharing plan

Study outputs

Output type Details Date created Date added Peer reviewed? Patient-facing?
Participant information sheet 30/06/2016 26/07/2016 No Yes
Results article results 10/07/2018 Yes No

Additional files

ISRCTN16238864_PIS_30Jun16.pdf
Uploaded 26/07/2016

Editorial Notes

07/08/2018: Publication reference added.
26/07/2016: Participant information sheet uploaded.