Promoting good parenting practices through text and audio messages
Can well-crafted text messages move parents to do activities with their children or parent them in better ways? There is already evidence in Uruguay on how using instant messaging to improve parenting practices has raised the quantity and quality of parent's investments in their young children. This project will seek to build on the evidence in this field, combining technology (text, audio, and audiovisual messages) and content framed based on behavioral sciences.
Problematic
Studies show the poorest children receive less parental investment, as well as a correlation between poverty level and the skills children develop in early childhood. Studies have also shown that relatively low-cost instant messaging programs, especially those informed by behavioral sciences, are effective in a variety of settings. However, there is less evidence on whether these programs can sustain behaviors and habits over time. There is a need for more rigorous evaluations to understand the effects of longer programs and how they need to be adjusted according to children stage of development.
Solution
To contribute to the analysis of how to sustain behaviors and habits over time, the project will design, implement, and evaluate an instant messaging program informed by behavioral sciences on parenting practices for families with children ages 0 to 4. The text, audio, or audiovisual messages explain benefits of good parenting practices, suggest activities to do at home, and share motivational content.
Evaluation and Impact
The project will assess the intervention's impact via an experimental impact evaluation. Families will be randomly divided into two treatment groups and a control group. The first treatment group will receive messages for one 4-month period. The second treatment group will receive messages for three non-consecutive 4-month periods over the course of two years. The control group will sporadically receive messages with the normal information.