Abstract

Fetalalcoholspectrumdisorders(FASD)representamajorpublichealthproblemthataffectsupto2to5 percentofschool-agedchildrenintheUS.Unfortunately,onlyasmallfractionofchildrenwithFASDandtheir familiescanaccessFASD-informedinterventionsduetosignificantsystems-andfamily-levelbarriers. Researchsuggeststhatself-directedandpeer-to-peerinterventionsareacceptabletofamiliesandcanleadto significantimprovementsinparenting,childbehavior,andresourceutilization.Advancementsintechnology arefacilitatingmoreaccessibleandinteractivemethodsforself-directededucationandsupport.Theproposed projectwilldevelopandevaluatetheefficacyofanovelmobilehealth(mHealth)application(?app?)todirectly providecaregiverswithevidence-basedcontentandpeer-moderatedsupporttheycaneasilyaccessanduse toimproveoutcomesfortheirchildrenandfamilies.Theapp,currentlycalled?FMFConnect,?willbederived fromthescientifically-validatedFamiliesMovingForward(FMF)Programandwillbuildonexistingframeworks forthedevelopmentofmedicalapps.Thisprojectwillfollowasystematicapproachtothedevelopmentand evaluationoftheFMFConnectmHealthintervention,includingasmall-scalefeasibilitytrial(n=30),anda larger-scalehybridimplementation-effectivenesstrial(n=120)withcaregiversraisingchildren(ages3-12)with FASD.Implementationdatawillaidinidentifyingthepatternsofappusagethatrelatetothegreatest improvementsinchildandcaregiveroutcomes.Studyhypothesesare:1)thatcaregiverswillfindtheFMF Connectinterventionacceptable,witheasytoaccesscontentandencouragingsupportfrompeer-moderators;? 2)thatgreaterusageofspecificinterventioncomponentswillrelatetolargerimprovementsinchildand caregiveroutcomes;?3)thatcaregiverswhoreceivetheFMFConnectinterventionwillhavelargergainson childandcaregiveroutcomesrelativetoawaitlistcomparisongroup;?and4)thatanincreasein neurodevelopmentalattributionsforbehaviorwillmediateintervention-relatedimprovementsinparenting efficacyandchildbehavior.Projectfindingswillguidefurtherappdevelopmentbothintermsofcontentand technologicaladvancestooptimizeinterventioneffects.Resultsofthisstudywillfurthertheoverallstrategic aimsoftheCollaborativeInitiativeonFASD(CIFASD),whicharetoinformanddevelopeffectiveinterventions forFASD.ThisprojectwillalsobenefitfromresourcesandcollaborationswithinCIFASDtocarryoutthe proposedwork,includingrecruitmentofadiversesample,diagnosticsupport,andoutreachanddissemination. ThisisoneofthefirststudiestoempiricallytestanmHealthinterventiondeliveredbyparentswithpeer- moderatedsupport.IthasthepotentialtoreachmanyfamiliesraisingchildrenwithFASDinneedandcould reducesignificantbarrierstocare,resultinginagreaterpublichealthimpact.

Public Health Relevance

Thevastmajorityoffamiliesraisingchildrenwithfetalalcoholspectrumdisorders(FASD)cannotaccess FASD-informedinterventionsduetosignificantsystems-andfamily-levelbarriers.Thisprojectwilldevelopand evaluatetheefficacyofamobilehealthapplicationtodirectlyprovidecaregiversraisingchildrenwithFASD withevidence-basedcontentandpeer-moderatedsupporttoimprovechildandcaregiveroutcomes.

  Funding Agency

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Type
Research Project--Cooperative Agreements (U01)
Project #
1U01AA026104-01
Application #
9391476
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZAA1)
Program Officer
Dunty, Jr, William
Project Start
2017-07-01
Project End
2022-05-31
Budget Start
2017-07-01
Budget End
2018-05-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2017
Total Cost
Indirect Cost

  Institution

Name
University of Rochester
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
041294109
City
Rochester
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
14627