A WeChat-based Intervention to Support Breastfeeding

Status Recruiting

Clinical Trial 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.

Clinical Trial Description

n/a

Study Design

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

Exclusive Breastfeeding

Clinical Trial Details

NCT number	NCT04499404
Study type	Interventional
Source	Chengdu Jinjiang Maternity and Child Health Hospital
Contact	Li Tang, PhD
Phone	+86 15002872018
Email	tangli207@hotmail.com
Status	Recruiting
Phase	N/A
Start date	June 28, 2020
Completion date	December 31, 2022

View Details

See also
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Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.

Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.