Digital Literacy Promotion (DLP)

Digital Literacy Promotion Among Medicaid Children

This study evaluates the effects of digital versus standard literacy promotion, as well as dialogic language behaviors and reading comprehension among infants when comparing the use of e-books to standard board books. Around half of the participants will receive standard board books at the 6, 9, and 12 month well visits, while the other half will receive digital e-books.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Language Development; Literacy
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Standard/Board Book Arm; Behavioral: Digital/E-Book Arm

Detailed Description

This study has three main objectives. The first is to test the effects of digital versus standard literacy promotion by way of a randomized controlled trial design. The second aim is to explore the reading behaviors and reading activities between parents and their infants when comparing the use of e-books to standard board books. The third aim is to identify themes regarding dialogical reading behaviors among parents participating in the video sub-study.

Participants will be stratified by clinic site and randomized to receive literacy promotion using 1) standard early reader board books or 2) digital electronic early reader e-books. We will recruit and consent one hundred eligible parent-infant dyads, with the infant being between 5 and 7 months of age at enrollment.

In this intervention, parent-infant dyads randomized to the digital arm will receive developmentally appropriate e-books. Those randomized to the standard arm will receive developmentally appropriate board books. Participants will receive either the e-book or board book at the time of their 6, 9 and 12 month well visits. In addition to the books, parent-infant dyads in both arms will be provided information on the importance of early parent-child reading activity by pediatric clinicians using the Reach Out and Read framework.

The main outcome will be differences in Bayley-3 Composite scores between groups. Secondary aims include differences in StimQ Reading Subscale Scores and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale Scores between groups.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 104
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
      • The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 5 months to 7 months (CHILD)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• English or Spanish speaking
• Parents ≥ 15 years of age at start of study
• Child born ≥ 35 weeks estimated gestational age
• Child 5 to 7 months
• Medicaid Insurance
• Access to a smart phone and/or tablet

Exclusion Criteria:

• Child has neurodevelopmental disabilities or congenital malformation

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: PREVENTION
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Interventional Model: PARALLEL
• Masking: SINGLE

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
ACTIVE_COMPARATOR: Standard/Board Book Arm; Parent-infant dyads randomized to the standard/board book arm will receive developmentally appropriate early reader board books at the time of their infant's 6, 9, and 12 month well visits. In addition to the books, parent-infant dyads will be provided information on the importance of early parent-child reading activity by pediatric clinicians using the Reach Out and Read framework.	Behavioral: Standard/Board Book Arm; Promotion of early reader board book reading
EXPERIMENTAL: Digital/E-Book Arm; Parent-infant dyads randomized to the digital/e-book arm will receive developmentally appropriate e-books at the time of their infant's 6, 9, and 12 month well visits. In addition to the books, parent-infant dyads will be provided information on the importance of early parent-child reading activity by pediatric clinicians using the Reach Out and Read framework.	Behavioral: Digital/E-Book Arm; Promotion of early reader digital e-book reading

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (Infant is 12-18 Months Old)	Evaluation of the infant's cognitive, language and motor development using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (BSID-III). Results were reported as composites of cognitive, language, and motor scores, where data were continuous variables on a scale with a normal distribution of 95%. The composite scores are scaled to a metric with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15, and range from 40-160. A composite score above 77.5 is considered developmentally average and a composite score below 77.5 is considered a developmental concern. Data were described using mean and standard deviation. Significance was considered at a level of 0.05.	Second Study visit (approximately one month after child is age-eligible for 12 month well child visit)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
StimQ READ Subscale Change Score	Differences in StimQ READ Subscale scores collected approximately 1 month after the 6, 9, and 12 month well visits. Reading activity is measured using the StimQ READ subscale. This contains "yes/no" questions reflecting access to books, frequency of shared reading, and variety of books read in homes of young children, ages 5 to 36 months. The StimQ-Infant READ subscale is for use with infants 5-12 months of age and the StimQ-Toddler READ subscale is used with toddlers 12-36 months of age. The StimQ Infant and Toddler Read Subscales include a point scale for measuring cognitive stimulation resulting from the reading activity. Scores for the StimQ-Infant READ scale range from 0-15 with higher scores (greater number values) reflective of higher reading exposure. Scores for the StimQ-Toddler READ scale range from 0-19 with higher scores (greater number values) reflective of higher reading exposure.	1 month after the 6, 9, and 12 month well visits
Frequency of Parent-Reported Board Book Reading	Frequency of board book reading in the prior two weeks. Parents reported frequency as very often, often, rarely, never. Very often and often categories were combined and rarely and never categories were combined. We report number in each arm who report very often/often.	1 month
Frequency of E-Book Reading	Frequency of e-book reading in the prior two weeks. Parents reported frequency as very often, often, rarely, never. Very often and often categories were combined and rarely and never categories were combined. We report number in each arm who report very often/often.	1 month
Frequency of Television Viewing	Frequency of television viewing in the prior two weeks. Parents reported frequency as very often, often, rarely, never. Very often and often categories were combined and rarely and never categories were combined. We report number in each arm who report very often/often.	1 month
Frequency of Board Book Reading	Frequency of board book reading in the prior two weeks. Parents reported frequency as very often, often, rarely, never. Very often and often categories were combined and rarely and never categories were combined. We report number in each arm who report very often/often.	4 months
Frequency of E-Book Reading	Frequency of e-book reading in the prior two weeks. Parents reported frequency as very often, often, rarely, never. Very often and often categories were combined and rarely and never categories were combined. We report number in each arm who report very often/often.	4 months
Frequency of Television Viewing	Frequency of television viewing in the prior two weeks. Parents reported frequency as very often, often, rarely, never. Very often and often categories were combined and rarely and never categories were combined. We report number in each arm who report very often/often.	4 months
Frequency of Board Book Reading	Frequency of board book reading in the prior two weeks. Parents reported frequency as very often, often, rarely, never. Very often and often categories were combined and rarely and never categories were combined. We report number in each arm who report very often/often.	7 months
Frequency of E-Book Reading	Frequency of e-book reading in the prior two weeks. Parents reported frequency as very often, often, rarely, never. Very often and often categories were combined and rarely and never categories were combined. We report number in each arm who report very often/often.	7 months
Frequency of Television Viewing	Frequency of television viewing in the prior two weeks. Parents reported frequency as very often, often, rarely, never. Very often and often categories were combined and rarely and never categories were combined. We report number in each arm who report very often/often.	7 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
• Collaborators: Vanguard Strong Start for Kids Program
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: James Guevara, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Guevara JP, Erkoboni D, Gerdes M, Winston S, Sands D, Rogers K, Haecker T, Jimenez ME, Mendelsohn AL. Promoting Early Literacy Using Digital Devices: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. Acad Pediatr. 2021 Aug;21(6):1001-1008. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2021.05.013. Epub 2021 May 19.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (ACTUAL): April 19, 2017
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): December 31, 2018
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): December 31, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 17, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 17, 2017
• First Posted (ACTUAL): April 20, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ACTUAL): November 5, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 4, 2020
• Last Verified: November 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Reading; Digital literacy
• Other Study ID Numbers: 16-013524

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Following completion of all analyses, data will be de-identified and made available for other investigators.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: 12 months after publication of all relevant papers
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: De-identified only
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No