Mobile Health Intervention for Infants in Guatemala (18-m Intervention)

Rationale: According to recent estimates, nore than 40% of children under age 5 residing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)-250 million children in total-are at risk of not reaching their developmental potential due to living in environments with malnutrition, poverty, and lack of early stimulation. Mobile health (mHealth) technology represents an efficient strategy for scaling interventions to promote infant development. Intervention: Individually-randomized controlled trial of mHealth application compared to paper caregiving materials. Length of intervention = 18 months. Objectives and purpose: We will test the effectiveness of a smartphone application that will directly engage caregivers in providing nurturing care to at-risk infants. We will assess effectiveness of the mHealth application compared to paper caregiving materials by comparing group differences in Bayley scores after 18 months. Study population: first-time parents of newborn infants, newborn infants.