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Completed

NCT Number: NCT05726448

Evaluating Telehealth Solutions in WIC: Wisconsin WIC Clients

With funding through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Tufts University's Telehealth Intervention Strategies for WIC (THIS-WIC) project, Wisconsin's (WI) WIC department will be implementing a new, customized, mobile-friendly nutrition education platform called ONE (Online Nutrition Education) in WI's WIC program. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of the ONE platform. The evaluation will focus on WIC clients as the study population. The Wisconsin WIC department would be implementing this education platform, regardless of the evaluation research. The Wisconsin WIC department is responsible for implementing this new intervention, while the Tufts University research team is responsible for the evaluation of this platform through surveys and analysis of administrative data.

An online survey will be used to gauge WIC clients' satisfaction with ONE, and the impact of the telehealth solution compared to usual care on breastfeed duration, dietary intake, attendance at scheduled appointments, attitudes to breastfeeding and nutrition education, and barriers encountered. Survey data will be combined with previously collected data on clients and their families from the WI Management Information Systems (MIS), and aggregate level data from the ONE telehealth solution about ONE utilization.

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Key information

Conditions

Telehealth Behavior Breast Feeding Dietary Intake Feeding Behavior Nutrition Education WIC

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Tufts University

Boston, Massachusetts, 02111, United States

About this study

Telehealth can reduce barriers and increase access to care, and it can be applied to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). WIC is a federal nutrition assistance program that helps low-income women with children up to age 5. There is a large volume of research that supports remote patient monitoring, and the most benefits are found when telehealth is used for communication and counseling. The USDA awarded Tufts University a grant to test and evaluate the use of telehealth innovations in the delivery of USDA's WIC program. Tufts University then offered the USDA/Tufts Telehealth Intervention Strategies for WIC (THIS-WIC) grant opportunity to WIC state agencies across the US. THIS-WIC selected 7 WIC State Agencies to receive grants, and the WI state agency is one recipient. The THIS-WIC team at Tufts University is leading the evaluation of these telehealth solutions in collaboration with funded WIC State Agencies.

THIS-WIC aims to generate evidence from WI's telehealth solution to inform how the ONE platform supports WIC services compared to usual in-person care. ONE is a mobile-optimized website, meaning that it functions as an app without requiring the amount of memory and data that apps use. WIC clients can experience the ONE platform in either English or Spanish. Evaluation findings will inform stakeholders about the platform's benefits and how viable it is to sustain and adapt ONE more widely.

Surveys will be conducted online via the Alchemer survey software platform for intervention and control sites.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • pregnant women
  • postpartum women
  • parent/guardian of a participating infant or child in the WIC program

Study participants will be clients at local WIC agency sites where either the telehealth solution is offered or where only usual care is available (control).

Exclusion criteria

Treatment and study plan

Telehealth solution

Behavioral

Mobile-friendly nutrition education platform

Primary outcomes

  1. Satisfaction with the telehealth solution

    Time frame: During the study period, approximately 18 months

    WIC clients satisfaction with nutrition education offered via the telehealth solution compared to usual care. Data will be collected, and this outcome measure will be assessed via survey completion by study participants.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Breastfeeding duration

    Time frame: During the study period, approximately 18 months

    Duration of breastfeeding in clients offered the telehealth solution compared to usual care. Data will be collected, and this outcome measure will be assessed via survey completion by study participants.

  2. Attendance at scheduled appointments

    Time frame: During the study period, approximately 18 months

    WIC clients attendance at appointments when offered the telehealth solution compared to usual care. Data will be collected, and this outcome measure will be assessed via survey completion by study participants.

  3. Dietary intake

    Time frame: During the study period, approximately 18 months

    Impact of the telehealth solution compared to usual care on dietary intake. Data will be collected, and this outcome measure will be assessed via survey completion by study participants.

  4. Attitudes to breastfeeding and nutrition education

    Time frame: During the study period, approximately 18 months

    Impact of the telehealth solution compared to usual care on WIC clients' attitudes to breastfeeding and nutrition education. Data will be collected, and this outcome measure will be assessed via survey completion by study participants.

  5. Barriers encountered in obtaining nutrition education

    Time frame: During the study period, approximately 18 months

    Impact of the telehealth solution compared to usual care on barriers encountered by WIC clients in obtaining nutrition education. Data will be collected, and this outcome measure will be assessed via survey completion by study participants.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Tufts University

Other

Collaborators

  • RTI International
  • United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
  • Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2023
Study completion
2023
First posted
Feb 14, 2023
Registry last updated
May 31, 2024

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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