TY - JOUR
T1 - A Feasibility Trial of an Online-Only, Family-Centered Preventive Intervention for Hispanics
T2 - e-Familias Unidas
AU - Rojas, Lourdes M.
AU - Bahamon, Monica
AU - Lebron, Cynthia
AU - Montero-Zamora, Pablo
AU - Pardo, Maria
AU - Wakefield, Mandeville
AU - Tapia, Maria
AU - Estrada, Yannine
AU - Schwartz, Seth J.
AU - Pantin, Hilda
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was funded by a research award to Dr. Hilda Pantin from the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. The videos adapted for use in this study were funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant # U01PS000671 (PI: Yannine Estrada).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2021/4
Y1 - 2021/4
N2 - We piloted the preventive intervention e-Familias Unidas, delivered exclusively through the Internet to maximize reach and sustainability. This program is an adaptation of an evidence-based, family-centered intervention that aims to prevent Hispanic adolescent drug use and risky sexual behavior through improving family functioning. The purpose of this feasibility trial was to: (1) explore the use of Facebook and a trusted community champion in the online recruitment of Hispanic parents of adolescents, (2) test an online-only assessment and randomization protocol, (3) pilot intervention delivery via e-familiasunidas.com, and (4) assess pre-post changes in family functioning. We tracked participant recruitment and enrollment via Facebook analytics and REDCap. Intervention completion was tracked via our website. We conducted an ANCOVA to test for between group (e-Familias Unidas vs. control) differences post-intervention. Recruitment lasted for a total of 10 weeks and was divided into three phases, with each phase systematically assessing which strategies maximized recruitment and enrollment. Overall, 93 Hispanic parents enrolled in the study. Of those randomized to the intervention group (n = 46), 70% were engaged and watched an average of 5.4 out of the 12 online videos. We found that participants recruited through a community champion, versus Facebook advertisements, had higher rates of enrollment and intervention completion. There was a significant improvement in parent-adolescent communication for parents who received e-Familias Unidas compared to those in the control group (n = 47). This pilot trial demonstrated it is feasible to recruit, assess, and deliver e-Familias Unidas to Hispanic parents through an online-only platform. Our findings highlight the promise of an online platform to optimize the reach of preventive interventions for underserved populations, to more effectively target participants, and to disseminate sustainable evidence-based interventions. We discuss lessons learned and recommendations for future research.
AB - We piloted the preventive intervention e-Familias Unidas, delivered exclusively through the Internet to maximize reach and sustainability. This program is an adaptation of an evidence-based, family-centered intervention that aims to prevent Hispanic adolescent drug use and risky sexual behavior through improving family functioning. The purpose of this feasibility trial was to: (1) explore the use of Facebook and a trusted community champion in the online recruitment of Hispanic parents of adolescents, (2) test an online-only assessment and randomization protocol, (3) pilot intervention delivery via e-familiasunidas.com, and (4) assess pre-post changes in family functioning. We tracked participant recruitment and enrollment via Facebook analytics and REDCap. Intervention completion was tracked via our website. We conducted an ANCOVA to test for between group (e-Familias Unidas vs. control) differences post-intervention. Recruitment lasted for a total of 10 weeks and was divided into three phases, with each phase systematically assessing which strategies maximized recruitment and enrollment. Overall, 93 Hispanic parents enrolled in the study. Of those randomized to the intervention group (n = 46), 70% were engaged and watched an average of 5.4 out of the 12 online videos. We found that participants recruited through a community champion, versus Facebook advertisements, had higher rates of enrollment and intervention completion. There was a significant improvement in parent-adolescent communication for parents who received e-Familias Unidas compared to those in the control group (n = 47). This pilot trial demonstrated it is feasible to recruit, assess, and deliver e-Familias Unidas to Hispanic parents through an online-only platform. Our findings highlight the promise of an online platform to optimize the reach of preventive interventions for underserved populations, to more effectively target participants, and to disseminate sustainable evidence-based interventions. We discuss lessons learned and recommendations for future research.
KW - Facebook
KW - Family-based intervention
KW - Hispanic
KW - Internet-based intervention
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85100385558&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85100385558&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10935-020-00620-1
DO - 10.1007/s10935-020-00620-1
M3 - Article
C2 - 33532952
AN - SCOPUS:85100385558
VL - 42
SP - 97
EP - 124
JO - Journal of Primary Prevention
JF - Journal of Primary Prevention
SN - 0278-095X
IS - 2
ER -