Table 3.
Study characteristics
| Characteristic | Category | Studies | |
|---|---|---|---|
| n | %a | ||
| STUDY | |||
| Year study commenced (N = 24) | 2003 to 2011 | 5 | 21 |
| 2012 to 2016 | 7 | 29 | |
| 2017 to 2019 | 12 | 50 | |
| Country of studies (N = 24) | Australia | 6 | 25 |
| China | 1 | 4 | |
| Denmark | 1 | 4 | |
| India | 1 | 4 | |
| Malaysia | 1 | 4 | |
| Myanmar | 1 | 4 | |
| Netherlands | 1 | 4 | |
| Spain | 1 | 4 | |
| Sweden | 1 | 4 | |
| UK | 1 | 4 | |
| USA | 9 | 38 | |
| Study design (N = 24) | RCT | 18 | 75 |
| Cluster RCT | 2 | 8 | |
| Non-concurrent, prospective comparison trial | 1 | 4 | |
| Pragmatic design | 1 | 4 | |
| Quasi-experimental design | 2 | 8 | |
| Participant retention rate (N = 24) | > 90% | 6 | 25 |
| 80–90% | 9 | 38 | |
| < 80% | 4 | 17 | |
| Not specified/unclear/ongoing | 5 | 21 | |
| MEDIUM | |||
| Intervention setting (N = 24) | Community settings (Child health centres, parent groups, health check clinics, primary care) | 6 | 25 |
| Home | 5 | 21 | |
| Participant choice | 13 | 54 | |
| Mode of intervention delivery (N = 24) | Face-to-face (group or home visits or community settings) + Supplementary telephone | 7 | 29 |
| Face-to-face (group or home visits or community settings) + Supplementary text messages | 3 | 12 | |
| Face-to-face (group or home visits or community settings) + Supplementary telephone and text messages | 1 | 4 | |
| Telephone | 5 | 21 | |
| Telephone (incl. apps) + Text messages | 5 | 21 | |
| Text messages | 3 | 12 | |
| POPULATION | |||
| Age of child at intervention commencement (N = 24) | Prior to child’s birth (during pregnancy) | 6 | 25 |
| 0–3 months | 10 | 42 | |
| 4–6 months | 3 | 12 | |
| 7–9 months | 1 | 4 | |
| > 12 months | 4 | 17 | |
| Mean age of mother (N = 20) | 21–30 years | 12 | 60 |
| 31–40 years | 8 | 40 | |
| Parity of mothers (N = 14) | Primiparous 100% | 5 | 36 |
| Primiparous 50–99% | 6 | 43 | |
| Primiparous < 50% | 3 | 21 | |
| Qualifications of mother (N = 18) | Tertiary (> 50%) | 9 | 50 |
| Tertiary (< 50%) | 2 | 11 | |
| High school (> 50%) | 5 | 28 | |
| High school (< 50%) | 2 | 11 | |
| INTERVENTION | |||
| Intervention duration (N = 24) | ≤ 6 months | 11 | 46 |
| 7–12 months | 7 | 29 | |
| 13–24 months | 4 | 17 | |
| > 24 months | 2 | 8 | |
| Intervention deliverers (N = 24) | Automated | 5 | 21 |
| Counsellor | 1 | 4 | |
| Dietitians | 2 | 8 | |
| Health Educator/Instructor | 4 | 17 | |
| Lactation consultant | 1 | 4 | |
| Medical Team | 1 | 4 | |
| Nurse + Peer Counsellor | 1 | 4 | |
| Nurses / Midwives | 9 | 38 | |
| Number of intervention sessions | |||
| Face-to-face ± telephone | 1 to 9 | 16 | |
| 10 to 19 | 2 | ||
| > 20 | 1 | ||
| Text messages | 1 to 9 | 1 | |
| 10 to 19 | 1 | ||
| 20 to 49 | 3 | ||
| > 50 | 6 | ||
| OUTCOMES | |||
| Number of outcomes measured (N = 24) | One | 6 | |
| Two | 4 | ||
| Three | 9 | ||
| Four or more | 5 | ||
| Child outcomes measured | BMIz | 13 | |
| Weight gain | 3 | ||
| Breastfeeding | 16 | ||
| Solid feeding / food habits | 15 | ||
| Tummy time | 3 | ||
| Play time / Physical activity | 5 | ||
| Sleep duration / sleep quality | 4 | ||
| TV viewing / Screen time | 7 | ||
| Goal setting for mothers | 4 | ||
| Mother’s well-being | 2 | ||
| Measurement time points (child’s age) | 0–3 months | 24 | |
| 4–6 months | 16 | ||
| 7–9 months | 3 | ||
| 10–12 months | 5 | ||
| 12–24 months | 4 | ||
| > 24 months | 9 | ||
| PROCESS EVALUATION / SATISFACTION | |||
| Process evaluation / satisfaction (N = 24) | Mention of process evaluation | 8 | 33 |
| Mention of Satisfaction measure | 3 | 12 | |
| Evaluation post-intervention | Quantitative survey | 1 | |
| Qualitative interviews | 5 | ||
| Evaluation during intervention | Quantitative survey | 8 | |
| Qualitative interviews | 4 | ||
Abbreviations: RCT randomised controlled trial; UK United Kingdom; USA United States of America
aNumbers rounded so total may not add up to 100