Characteristics of Parenting Interventions for Latino Families That Could Increase Attendace of Low Attending Participants

Background: Parenting interventions are effective strategies to reduce child and adolescent risks and promote positive youth development. Even though these interventions aim at including as many parents as possible, it is well known that mothers are the family members that often times participate in these programs. Guided by the “4P’s of Marketing Framework”, we used a mixed methods study to identify characteristics of a parenting program that would be attractive for mothers and fathers. Methods: We used a convergent parallel study design. In this design, qualitative and quantitative data are collected simultaneously, analyzed independently and integrated in the interpretation phase. This method was selected to describe and quantify preferences. Participants with low attendance in the Padres Informados, Jovenes Preparados (PIJP) parenting education trial (which targets immigrant Latino families with adolescents aged 10-14), including mothers and fathers and non-enrolled partners of enrolled participants (mostly fathers), were invited to participate in semi-structured individual interviews. In addition, parents with high attendance and Latino parents of adolescent children without exposure to the PIJP curriculum were included to incorporate different perspectives. Interviews were conducted in Spanish by trained qualitative researchers and explored parent’s perceptions about parenting and the characteristics of a parenting intervention that would be appealing to them. After the interviews, participants completed a survey that quantified their preferences about different aspects of potential delivery methods (group, phone, online, etc.). Qualitative data was analyzed using Content Analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize quantitative data. Results: A total of 36 people participated in the study: 25 with low or non-attendance in PIJP (13 fathers and 12 mothers), 5 with high attendance (2 fathers and 3 mothers), and 6 without exposure to PIJP (3 fathers and 3 mothers). Most parents were married, born in Mexico, and had an average age of 39 years. Most participants preferred participating in a program that included multiple components, of which group, videos, and home visits were preferred. Participants described that group-format would be preferable, but the intervention should also include individual components that could replace the group sessions if a parent was not able to attend. Most importantly, the program should include a pre-program motivational session, ideally in at participant’s homes, were co-parenting and the benefits of completing the program are discussed. Characteristics of each of these components were described. Conclusions: In this study, we identified the characteristics of parenting interventions that could produce higher attendance of fathers and non-attenders to traditional group-based parenting programs.