ArticleJMIR research protocols2024
A Factorial Randomized Controlled Trial to Optimize User Engagement With a Chatbot-Led Parenting Intervention: Protocol for the ParentText Optimisation Trial.
Article in JMIR research protocols, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Optimizing Engagement With a Smartphone App to Prevent Violence Against Adolescents: Results From a Cluster Randomized Factorial Trial in Tanzania.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Trial
- Building Impact Through Government Partnerships: the Naungan Kasih Positive Parenting Program in Malaysia.Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research · 2026Article
- Using a Digital Parenting Intervention to Prevent Intimate Partner Violence and Promote Gender Equitable Behaviors in South Africa and Jamaica: A Qualitative Study Exploring Partnered Parents' Experiences of ParentText.Violence against women · 2026Article
- Chatbot-based health interventions in low- and middle-income countries: effective access, early attrition, and design strategies from a mixed-methods study.npj digital public health · 2026Article
- Exploring the Association Between Behavioral Determinants and Intention to Use a Chatbot-Led Parenting Intervention by Caregivers of Adolescent Girls in South Africa: Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR pediatrics and parenting · 2025Article
- A Hybrid Digital Parenting Program Delivered Within the Malaysian Preschool System: Protocol for a Feasibility Study of a Small-Scale Factorial Cluster Randomized Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
15 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundViolence against children (VAC) is a serious public health concern with long-lasting adverse effects. Evidence-based parenting programs are one effective means to prevent VAC; however, these interventions are not scalable in their typical in-person group format, especially in low- and middle-income countries where the need is greatest. While digital delivery, including via chatbots, offers a scalable and cost-effective means to scale up parenting programs within these settings, it is crucial to understand the key pillars of user engagement to ensure their effective implementation.
objectiveThis study aims to investigate the most effective and cost-effective combination of external components to optimize user engagement with ParentText, an open-source chatbot-led parenting intervention to prevent VAC in Mpumalanga, South Africa.
methodsThis study will use a mixed methods design incorporating a 2 × 2 factorial cluster-randomized controlled trial and qualitative interviews. Parents of adolescent girls (32 clusters, 120 participants [60 parents and 60 girls aged 10 to 17 years] per cluster; N=3840 total participants) will be recruited from the Ehlanzeni and Nkangala districts of Mpumalanga. Clusters will be randomly assigned to receive 1 of the 4 engagement packages that include ParentText alone or combined with in-person sessions and a facilitated WhatsApp support group. Quantitative data collected will include pretest-posttest parent- and adolescent-reported surveys, facilitator-reported implementation data, and digitally tracked engagement data. Qualitative data will be collected from parents and facilitators through in-person or over-the-phone individual semistructured interviews and used to expand the interpretation and understanding of the quantitative findings.
resultsRecruitment and data collection started in August 2023 and were finalized in November 2023. The total number of participants enrolled in the study is 1009, with 744 caregivers having completed onboarding to the chatbot-led intervention. Female participants represent 92.96% (938/1009) of the sample population, whereas male participants represent 7.03% (71/1009). The average participant age is 43 (SD 9) years.
conclusionsThe ParentText Optimisation Trial is the first study to rigorously test engagement with a chatbot-led parenting intervention in a low- or middle-income country. The results of this study will inform the final selection of external delivery components to support engagement with ParentText in preparation for further evaluation in a randomized controlled trial in 2024.
trial registrationOpen Science Framework (OSF); https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/WFXNE. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/52145.
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