Parenting PracticesNCT05802160
The Good Start Matters - Parenting Program
A study testing Good Start Matters - Parenting intervention in people with Parenting Practices and Co-parenting Practices, run by University of British Columbia at 1 site in Canada.
Trial summary
Early childhood is an important period where the family can support the development and maintenance of healthy eating and active behaviors to prevent or reduce childhood obesity. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 30 months to 6 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Parenting Practices, Co-parenting Practices, Child Eating and Dietary Behaviors
- What is being tested?
- Good Start Matters - Parenting intervention
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 118 participants
- Where
- 1 siteCanada
- Study dates
- 1 Apr 2023to 2 Apr 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 30 months to 6 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child
Who may be able to join
- Children must be:
- Attending a childcare center invited to participate in the Good Start Matters study.
- Older than 2.5 and younger than 6 years
- Parents must:
- Be the primary caregiver/legal guardian of an eligible child OR share childrearing responsibilities with an already enrolled primary caregiver/legal guardian of an eligible child
- Be fluent in English
- Have a cellphone number and smartphone device where they can receive text messages and download and access the app
Who cannot join
- Parents and children:
- Currently participating in a pediatric weight management program or in a nutritional program are not eligible.
- Children:
- With severe dietary restrictions that limit their ability to follow general nutritional guidelines for toddlers and preschoolers are not eligible.
- With severe physical limitations that limit their ability to follow general movement behavior guidelines for toddlers and preschoolers are not eligible.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Canada1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
University of British Columbia / BC Children's Hospital Research Institute
Vancouver, British Columbia, V6H 3V4
Louise Masse, PhD, 6048752000 ext. 5563, lmasse@bcchr.ubc.ca
Olivia de Jongh, PhD, 6048752000 ext. 6393, olivia.djgonzalez@bcchr.ca
About this study
Official title: A Good Start Matters for Parents and Children: an MHealth Parenting Intervention to Promote a Healthy Child Development
Early childhood is an important period where the family can support the development and maintenance of healthy eating and active behaviors to prevent or reduce childhood obesity. With this ultimate goal, we designed the Good Start Matters - Parenting program, which aims to engage families in positive parenting practices that support healthy child behaviors, and aim to evaluate the efficacy of this intervention with a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT). The Good Start Matters - Parenting program is a 2-month mobile-Health (mHealth) parenting intervention which promote positive parenting (primary outcome) and support children's healthy nutrition, physical activity, and decrease screen-time (secondary outcomes).
Read the detailed description
Early childhood is an important learning period where dietary, physical activity and sedentary habits are forming, and developing unhealthy habits will set children up for obesity and other health risks later in life. Moreover, during early childhood the familial environment plays a key role in shaping children's behaviors through their parenting practices, which altogether illustrate the potential of the early years as a developmental period with opportunities for obesity prevention. This Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) evaluates the efficacy of the Good Start Matters - Parenting intervention, a mobile-Health (mHealth) aimed at improving parenting and co-parenting practices and child health behaviors among British Columbian families of preschoolers. Participating families complete measurement tools at baseline and after 10 weeks. Families randomized into the intervention condition receive immediate access to the app, and control families receive access to the app after the completion of the second assessment. We expect that compared to control group families, intervention group families significantly improve their parenting and co-parenting practices and improve child health behaviors after 2 months of app use.
- Conditions
- Parenting Practices, Co-parenting Practices, Child Eating and Dietary Behaviors, Child Physical Activity/active Play/outdoor Play, Child Screen Time
- Being tested
- Good Start Matters - Parenting intervention
- Keywords
- Parenting intervention, mHealth, parenting practices, co-parenting, eating behavior, physical activity, active play, screen time
- Medical subject headings
- Feeding Behavior, Motor Activity
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Good Start Matters - Parenting interventionBehavioural
The Good Start Matters - Parenting intervention is a 2-month mobile-Health (mHealth) parenting program that aims to improve parenting practices and child health behaviors among British Columbian families of preschoolers. This intervention uses a familial approach and blends the best practices and evidence to promote positive parenting regarding 3 main areas: nutrition, physical activity, and screen-time; which altogether aim to support the development of healthy habits among young children. The mHealth app releases new material on a weekly basis and participants' engagement with the app takes about 30 minutes per week.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Good Start Matters Parenting intervention | Experimental | The intervention group will receive immediate access to the app where the Good Start Matters - Parenting intervention will be delivered over a 2-months period. Receives: Behavioral: Good Start Matters - Parenting intervention |
| Control | No intervention | The control group will not receive access to the intervention until they complete the follow-up measures (after 10 weeks). |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in Parenting practices (parent outcome)
Questions adapted from the "Food and Physical Activity Item Banks" (Masse et al 2020) to specifically assess parenting practices related to food, physical activity and screen time. The scale ranges from 1-5 in most items, and higher scores indicate greater endorsement of each parenting practice.
Measured: Two time points (baseline and 10 weeks post intervention)
Secondary outcomes (4)
Change in Co-Parenting practices (parent outcome)
Questions adapted from the "Coparenting Relationship Scale" from Feinberg et al (2012) to measure co-parenting agreement specifically regarding the child eating and movement behaviors. The scale ranges from 1-4 and all items will be coded in the same direction to have greater scores representing greater coparenting agreement.
Measured: Two time points (baseline and 10 weeks post intervention)
Change in Eating and dietary behaviors (child outcome)
Questions from the "Children´s Eating Behaviors Questionnaire" (CEBQ) (Wardle et al, 2001), questions based on "Canada´s Food Guide" recommendations, and questions created for the current study to assess a variety of children´s eating behaviors around food (e.g., fussiness, emotional overeating) and intake of key food markers (e.g., vegetables, fruits, sugary drinks). Specifically for the CEBQ scale, response options range from 1-5, and all items will be recoded in the same direction to have greater scores representing greater frequency of each child behavior.
Measured: Two time points (baseline and 10 weeks post intervention)
Change in Physical activity (child outcome)
Questions adapted from Burdette et al. (2004) to examine child physical activity through active play and outdoor play. Greater scores indicate greater active play and outdoor play time.
Measured: Two time points (baseline and 10 weeks post intervention)
Change in Screen time (child outcome)
Questions created for this study to examine children's time in front of screens. Greater scores indicate greater screen time.
Measured: Two time points (baseline and 10 weeks post intervention)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted6 Apr 2023
- Study start1 Apr 2023
- Primary completion1 Apr 2025 (estimated)
- Study completion2 Apr 2025 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Parenting PracticesStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of British ColumbiaThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 118 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of British Columbia
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Louise Masse, University of British Columbia
- Investigators
- Louise Masse, PhD, Principal investigator, University Of British Columbia & BC Children's Hospital Research Institute
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05802160
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- H18-01434(2)
- Status last verified
- May 2024
- First submitted
- 15 Mar 2023
- Last updated
- 14 Jan 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
De-Jongh Gonzalez O, Tugault-Lafleur CN, Mah JWT, Masse LC. The Good Start Matters mHealth Parenting Program: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2025 Oct 23;14:e72642. doi: 10.2196/72642.
PubMed 41129815
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 14 Jan 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- A Good Start Matters for Parents and Children: an MHealth Parenting Intervention to Promote a Healthy Child Development
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05802160
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- H18-01434(2)
- Conditions
- Parenting Practices, Co-parenting Practices, Child Eating and Dietary Behaviors, Child Physical Activity/active Play/outdoor Play, Child Screen Time
- Keywords
- Parenting intervention, mHealth, parenting practices, co-parenting, eating behavior, physical activity, active play, screen time
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Unknown status
- Enrolment
- 118 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of British ColumbiaUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research
- Study start
- 1 Apr 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Apr 2025 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 2 Apr 2025 (estimated)
- First posted
- 6 Apr 2023 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Early childhood is an important period where the family can support the development and maintenance of healthy eating and active behaviors to prevent or reduce childhood obesity. With this ultimate goal, we designed the Good Start Matters - Parenting program, which aims to engage families in positive parenting practices that support healthy child behaviors, and aim to evaluate the efficacy of this intervention with a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT). The Good Start Matters - Parenting program is a 2-month mobile-Health (mHealth) parenting intervention which promote positive parenting (primary outcome) and support children's healthy nutrition, physical activity, and decrease screen-time (secondary outcomes).
Detailed description
Early childhood is an important learning period where dietary, physical activity and sedentary habits are forming, and developing unhealthy habits will set children up for obesity and other health risks later in life. Moreover, during early childhood the familial environment plays a key role in shaping children's behaviors through their parenting practices, which altogether illustrate the potential of the early years as a developmental period with opportunities for obesity prevention. This Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) evaluates the efficacy of the Good Start Matters - Parenting intervention, a mobile-Health (mHealth) aimed at improving parenting and co-parenting practices and child health behaviors among British Columbian families of preschoolers. Participating families complete measurement tools at baseline and after 10 weeks. Families randomized into the intervention condition receive immediate access to the app, and control families receive access to the app after the completion of the second assessment. We expect that compared to control group families, intervention group families significantly improve their parenting and co-parenting practices and improve child health behaviors after 2 months of app use.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Good Start Matters Parenting intervention | Experimental | Behavioral: Good Start Matters - Parenting interventionThe intervention group will receive immediate access to the app where the Good Start Matters - Parenting intervention will be delivered over a 2-months period. |
| Control | No intervention | –The control group will not receive access to the intervention until they complete the follow-up measures (after 10 weeks). |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 30 months to 6 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child
Key inclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Attending a childcare center invited to participate in the Good Start Matters study.
- Older than 2.5 and younger than 6 years
- Be the primary caregiver/legal guardian of an eligible child OR share childrearing responsibilities with an already enrolled primary caregiver/legal guardian of an eligible child
- Be fluent in English
- Have a cellphone number and smartphone device where they can receive text messages and download and access the app
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Currently participating in a pediatric weight management program or in a nutritional program are not eligible.
- With severe dietary restrictions that limit their ability to follow general nutritional guidelines for toddlers and preschoolers are not eligible.
- With severe physical limitations that limit their ability to follow general movement behavior guidelines for toddlers and preschoolers are not eligible.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Good Start Matters - Parenting interventionThe Good Start Matters - Parenting intervention is a 2-month mobile-Health (mHealth) parenting program that aims to improve parenting practices and child health behaviors among British Columbian families of preschoolers. This intervention uses a familial approach and blends the best practices and evidence to promote positive parenting regarding 3 main areas: nutrition, physical activity, and screen-time; which altogether aim to support the development of healthy habits among young children. The mHealth app releases new material on a weekly basis and participants' engagement with the app takes about 30 minutes per week. | Behavioural | Good Start Matters Parenting intervention |
Primary outcome
Change in Parenting practices (parent outcome)
Time frame: Two time points (baseline and 10 weeks post intervention)
Questions adapted from the "Food and Physical Activity Item Banks" (Masse et al 2020) to specifically assess parenting practices related to food, physical activity and screen time. The scale ranges from 1-5 in most items, and higher scores indicate greater endorsement of each parenting practice.
4 secondary outcomes
Change in Co-Parenting practices (parent outcome)
Time frame: Two time points (baseline and 10 weeks post intervention)
Change in Eating and dietary behaviors (child outcome)
Time frame: Two time points (baseline and 10 weeks post intervention)
Change in Physical activity (child outcome)
Time frame: Two time points (baseline and 10 weeks post intervention)
Change in Screen time (child outcome)
Time frame: Two time points (baseline and 10 weeks post intervention)
Results and safety
Results are not available in the source record.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 14 Jan 2025.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 41129815De-Jongh Gonzalez O, Tugault-Lafleur CN, Mah JWT, Masse LC. The Good Start Matters mHealth Parenting Program: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2025 Oct 23;14:e72642. doi: 10.2196/72642.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
Related trials for Parenting Practices
Not yet recruiting
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Parenting Practices, Self Efficacy
Recruiting
Cooking HEalthy and Facilitating Early Childhood Development: CHEF-ED Study
Teaching Healthy Cooking Skills to Parents and Their Preschool Children
Enrolling by invitation
A Male Caregiver Adaptation Study of the Connecting and Reflecting Experience Parenting Program
Parenting Stress, Parent Child Relationship
Recruiting
Digital Support Strategies for Caregiver Home Practice
Acceptability, Feasibility Studies
Enrolling by invitationObservational study
Young Children and Screens: Parents' Perspectives and Child Health Nurses' Approaches in a Digital Age
Primary Health Care Providers, Early Childhood Behavior
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Louise Masse, PhD principal investigator
University Of British Columbia & BC Children's Hospital Research Institute
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Good Start Matters - Parenting intervention in people with Parenting Practices and Co-parenting Practices, run by University of British Columbia at 1 site in Canada.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 7 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 14 Jan 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Canada. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Results are not available in the source record.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Louise Masse, PhD (604 875 2000 ext. 5563, lmasse@bcchr.ubc.ca), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change in Parenting practices (parent outcome) (time frame: Two time points (baseline and 10 weeks post intervention)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05802160, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 14 Jan 2025.