The ParentApp for Kids team received in-country ethics approval in Tanzania via the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) on 12 February. Following design meetings with implementation partner IDEMS to review content and ParentApp features, plans for March formative consultation workshops continue to progress well. The team has drafted a workshop guide and allocated translations. A meeting was also held between Stellenbosch University, NIMR, and study implementation partner the Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI) to discuss individual partner roles and responsibilities. The workshop will involve 2 groups of caregivers of children between the ages of 2-5 years and 6-9 years, with each group of caregivers allocated to two half-day workshops. Day one of the workshops will cover parenting and intervention themes and activities, with day two focused on smartphone use, App features, and user experience. The workshop will also provide an opportunity for participants to document reflections on using the CONNECT module, authored in PLH’s template. In terms of capacity building, Project Coordinator, Moroesi Makhetha attended a GPI Future Leader training session in January which covered conference planning, abstract writing, preparing and presenting a poster or presentation, and conference networking.
ParentApp for the Early Years in Tanzania Updates
This multi-phase study aims to develop ParentApp for Kids (ParentApp for the Early Years) and assess its feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness on responsive caregiving and child development. This study will benefit parents and caregivers and their children falling between pregnancy and 9 years of age.
2023
Following meetings with implementation partner IDEMS to review the design of ParentApp, preparations are underway for formative consultation workshops. A final version of the App will be used during the workshops with parents in early 2024 and a workshop guide is also being developed in consultation with IDEMS.
Ethical approval for ParentApp for Kids has been obtained from Stellenbosch University, and an in-country ethics application has been submitted for approval. In terms of capacity building, the team participated in the GPI Future Leaders Journal Club. This event involved insightful presentations by experts and discussions on the application of different RCT methods and demystifying the stats.
Finally, the ParentApp for Kids team is excited to welcome Janeth Nandrie (PhD student) in mid-January 2024. Janeth’s previous experience as a Team Leader on the ParentApp for Teens project will be a valuable asset to the team’s work.
The design phase of ParentApp for the Early Years is well underway. Both research design and digital development decisions are being informed by conversations and collaborations with the ParentApp for Teens and IDEMS team. A deep dive session was also held with IDEMS to discuss and explore important features of shared reading content and activities for ParentApp. In addition, the team met with Africa based organisation the Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI) to discuss changes to project activities, budgeting, timeline and proposed roles. Work is progressing on an in-country ethics application and creation of a ParentApp for the Early Years content brief. The team has also completed the first draft of a planning document for conducting stakeholder consultation workshops and a repository for potential outcomes measures for use in a randomised controlled trial. In addition, the project team is growing. Tatenda Mawoyo and Moroesi Makhetha recently joined in Project Manager and Project Coordinator roles respectively and interviews have been conducted for potential PhD candidates.
Reported by Marguerite Marlow
Marguerite Marlow from the Stellenbosch University team traveled to Mwanza for a learning session with the ICS project manager and field officers involved in ParentApp for Teens - they shared valuable implementation learnings that will help inform the design and planning of ParentApp for Kids.
Reported by Marguerite Marlow
The ParentApp for Kids in Tanzania team has received ethical approval for their study from the Health Research Ethics Committee (HREC) at Stellenbosch University.
2022
Reporting by Stefani Du Toit
The project is beginning to get underway, with the ethics application now having been submitted to the Health Research Ethics Committee (Stellenbosch University) for ethical approval. An in-person meeting was conducted in Tanzania with country PIs and partners to discuss the study on 13 September, and we have been in consultation with Prof G.J Melendez Torress on study measures, study design, and randomization.
