A WeChat-based Intervention to Support Breastfeeding

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.

Conditions

• Exclusive Breastfeeding

Interventions

OTHER

Breastfeeding related information delivered by WeChat

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.

OTHER

Non-breastfeeding related information delivered by WeChat

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.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital

  collaborator OTHER

• Curtin University

  collaborator OTHER

• Chengdu Jinjiang Maternity and Child Health Hospital

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Li Tang, PhD · Chengdu Jinjiang Maternity and Child Health Hospital

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

TRIPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2020-06-28

Primary Completion

2021-12-31

Completion

2022-12-31

Countries

• China

Study Locations