Smartphone Application for Breastfeeding Education in Medical Students

• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04536896
• Recruitment Status: Completed
• First Posted: September 3, 2020
• Last Update Posted: September 3, 2020
• Sponsor: Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon
• Information provided by (Responsible Party): Erika Ochoa-Correa, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon

Study Description

Brief Summary:

The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of two educational interventions to enhance breastfeeding knowledge among senior medical students. One intervention consisted of a traditional face-to-face teaching lecture and the other consisted of the use of a smartphone application containing information about breastfeeding.

Condition or disease	Intervention/treatment	Phase
Medical Education	Other: Smartphone breastfeeding application; Other: Traditional face-to-face breastfeeding lecture	Not Applicable

Detailed Description:

A quasi-experimental study was performed. Students were allocated to two groups; the first group underwent a 6-hour face-to-face breastfeeding course which was divided in four 1.5-hour sessions during a time span of two weeks. The second intervention consisted of downloading a digital smartphone application designed by the research team to teach proper breastfeeding concepts which participants freely navigated during the same time span of two weeks. Before and after each intervention, students answered a general breastfeeding knowledge test consisting of twenty multiple choice answers with a score range of 0 to 20. Statistical comparisons between pre- and post-test scores were performed in each group and mean change in scores was compared between them to establish which method was the most efficient. Moreover, amount of time spent on the application was descriptively measured.

Study Design

• Study Type: Interventional (Clinical Trial)
• Actual Enrollment: 438 participants
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
• Intervention Model Description: Non-randomized quasi-experimental trial
• Masking: None (Open Label)
• Primary Purpose: Other
• Official Title: Efficacy of a Smartphone App for a Breastmilk Feeding Course Among Sixth Year Medical Students
• Actual Study Start Date: July 31, 2018
• Actual Primary Completion Date: July 31, 2019
• Actual Study Completion Date: December 15, 2019

Arms and Interventions

Arm	Intervention/treatment
Active Comparator: Traditional face-to-face teaching method; In this arm, participants underwent a 6-hour traditional face-to-face lecture on breastfeeding education in a classroom at a university. Course was divided into 4 1.5-hour sessions during a time span of two weeks.	Other: Traditional face-to-face breastfeeding lecture; This intervention consists of the impartition of a face-to-face breastfeeding course
Experimental: Breastfeeding smartphone app; In this group, participants downloaded a smartphone application which contained an online breastfeeding education course. Participants freely navigated through the smartphone app during a time span of two weeks.	Other: Smartphone breastfeeding application; This intervention consists of a smartphone application which contains relevant information and topics regarding proper breastfeeding knowledge for medical students.

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures :

1. Efficacy of each breastfeeding course evaluated by a quantitative general knowledge questionnaire [ Time Frame: 14 days ]
   In order to measure this outcome, all participants answered a test consisting of a quantitative questionnaire of general breastfeeding knowledge before and after the intervention. This general knowledge test consisted of twenty questions with multiple choice answers ranging between two to five possible answers according to the nature of the question. It was designed by study researchers which included specialists in Pediatrics and breastfeeding and it was based solely on the course content. Minimum and maximum scores were 0 and 20, where a higher score indicated a better grade on the test. Central tendency and dispersion measures were obtained for pre- and post-test scores and a further statistical comparison between this parameters indicated whether there was a statistically significant difference. If the post-test score was statistically superior to the pre-test score, it was concluded that the intervention was efficient to improve breastfeeding knowledge.

Secondary Outcome Measures :

1. Comparison of the efficacy of each breastfeeding course by comparison of mean differences [ Time Frame: 14 days ]
   In order to measure this outcome, a mean difference between the post-test and pre-test scores was obtained for each group. Furthermore, these mean differences were compared to establish if the mean improvement in test scores was different between both interventions. If the mean change of one intervention was statistically superior to the other, it was assumed that the former intervention was more efficient to promote breastfeeding knowledge. On the contrary, if no statistical differences between the effects of both interventions on test scores were observed, it was assumed that no intervention was superior to the other.
2. Amount of time in minutes spent on the smartphone application [ Time Frame: 14 days ]
   Study researchers had access to the amount of time in minutes that each student dedicated to studying on the smartphone application. Descriptive statistics with central and dispersion tendencies were obtained to evaluate this outcome.

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Sexes Eligible for Study: All
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Senior adult medical students of any gender who at the time were enrolled on the Pediatrics biannual course during the July 2018 th -July 2019 th academic period.
• Provide verbal informed consent
• At least 18 years old

Exclusion Criteria:

• Students who did not possess an electronic device (smartphone or tablet) or decided not to participate in the study.
• Rate of non-attendance to the general pediatric course greater than 50%

Contacts and Locations

Locations

Mexico

Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon

Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, 64460

Sponsors and Collaborators

Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon

Investigators

• Principal Investigator: Erika Ochoa-Correa, MD; UNIVERSIDAD AUTONOMA DE NUEVO LEON, School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics

More Information

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Yang SF, Salamonson Y, Burns E, Schmied V. Breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes of health professional students: a systematic review. Int Breastfeed J. 2018 Feb 20;13:8. doi: 10.1186/s13006-018-0153-1. eCollection 2018. Review.

Gary AJ, Birmingham EE, Jones LB. Improving breastfeeding medicine in undergraduate medical education: A student survey and extensive curriculum review with suggestions for improvement. Educ Health (Abingdon). 2017 May-Aug;30(2):163-168. doi: 10.4103/efh.EfH_180_15.

• Responsible Party: Erika Ochoa-Correa, Medical Doctor, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon
• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04536896
• Other Study ID Numbers: PE18-00005
• First Posted: September 3, 2020
• Last Update Posted: September 3, 2020
• Last Verified: August 2020

Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement:

• Plan to Share IPD: No
• Plan Description: At request of other researchers, sharing of IPD will be assessed by the research team assuring confidentiality of participants information.

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: No

Keywords provided by Erika Ochoa-Correa, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon:

breastfeeding education; medical education