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Completed

NCT Number: NCT05967234

THIS-WIC Vermont Breastfeeding Education Application Feasibility Study

With funding through USDA and Tufts University's Telehealth Intervention Strategies for WIC (THIS-WIC) project, the Vermont WIC department will be conducting a feasibility study of a mobile telehealth solution for breastfeeding education. The purpose of this study is to evaluate this telehealth solution. The research/evaluation involves completing online surveys and interviews. The evaluation will focus on participant satisfaction, usage of the telehealth solution, and use of information collected on WIC participant through the WIC management information system (MIS) and the telehealth platform. It is hypothesized that the telehealth solution will increase WIC participant's satisfaction with breastfeeding education.

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Key information

Conditions

Telehealth Behavior Breast Feeding Feeding Behavior 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 Vermont 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 Vermont's telehealth solution to inform how the telehealth platform supports WIC services . Evaluation findings will inform stakeholders about the platform's benefits and how viable it is to sustain and adapt more widely.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of this telehealth solution by having clients complete surveys and interviews on their comfortability using telehealth and their satisfaction with the telehealth solution. Additionally, information about usage will be collected from the telehealth platform, and secondary demographic and other nutrition-related information about study participants is already collected in the MIS and will be utilized.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Speaks and reads English (as the telehealth solution is available in English)
  • Pregnant or postpartum
  • Has access to a smart phone or smart device (e.g. iPad or tablet)

Exclusion criteria

-

Treatment and study plan

Telehealth solution

Behavioral

Telehealth solution offered for breastfeeding education.

Primary outcomes

  1. Satisfaction with the telehealth solution

    Time frame: During the study period, approximately 12 months

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

Secondary outcomes

  1. Frequency of use of the telehealth solution

    Time frame: During the study period, approximately 12 months

    The frequency with which WIC clients use the telehealth solution. Data will be collected, and this outcome measure will be assessed via survey completion by study participants.

  2. Intent to breastfeed

    Time frame: During the study period, approximately 12 months

    WIC clients intent to breastfeed. Data will be collected, and this outcome measure will be assessed via survey completion by study participants.

  3. Breastfeeding duration

    Time frame: During the study period, approximately 12 months

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

  4. Attitudes to breastfeeding

    Time frame: During the study period, approximately 12 months

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

  5. Barriers encountered in use of the telehealth solution and breastfeeding

    Time frame: During the study period, approximately 12 months

    Barriers encountered by WIC clients in use of the telehealth solution and in breastfeeding. 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)
  • Vermont WIC

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2023
Study completion
2023
First posted
Aug 1, 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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