Promoting Effective Child Development Practices in the First Year of Life Through a Video Administered at Two Different Times. A Randomized Controlled Trial

There is an increasing need for parenting programs aimed at promoting parent-child interaction. A variety of interventions have been proposed. The use of audiovisual materials for parents has been shown to be effective but limited information is available on the optimal timing for its use, particularly for new parents during the first year of life of their children.

Based on the hypothesis that the effectiveness of information provided to first-time parents in modifying their knowledge, attitudes and intentions regarding rearing practices may depend on when the information is delivered, we designed an open randomized controlled trial to compare the effectiveness of administering a video at two different times, i.e. at one and seven months of age of the child.

The video addressed four specific activities related to early child development: reading aloud to the baby, early exposure to music, promotion of early socialization for parents and for children.