Developing an educational intervention for parents to promote preschool child safety in Nepal

Full project title: Developing an educational intervention for parents to promote preschool child safety in Nepal

Duration: 1 August 2024–31 January 2026

Project lead for CPHWB: Dr Santosh Bhatta

Other CPHWB researchers:

• Professor Julie Mytton
• Dr Hamed Zandian
• Dr Issy Bray
• Professor Jane Powell

Research partners/collaborators:

• Sunkoshi Rural Municipality
• Nepal Injury Research Centre
• Kathmandu Medical College

Funder: Medical Research Council (£177,344.01)

This project addresses child injury, a preventable cause of mortality, morbidity and disability. The aim of the project is to co-produce an intervention for parents living in rural Nepal that enables them to reduce hazards in their home that could lead to an injury in a preschool child.

Building on previous survey and qualitative evidence, and working with groups of mothers and community health practitioners in a rural municipality, we will conduct formative qualitative research to identify potential intervention components, and to understand the context in which safety decisions in rural Nepal homes are made. We will establish a stakeholder group through which we will develop a theory of change to underpin the developing intervention and to clarify the pathways to impact. Through a series of action research workshops, we will co-produce the intervention and agree an approach to evaluate its effectiveness and cost effectiveness.

Towards the end of the study period, we will test the feasibility of delivering the intervention across two wards, with three groups of mothers in one ward randomised to receive the intervention and three in the other ward to receive a control activity. The primary outcome will be number of injuries in preschool children and a secondary outcome will be number of injury hazards in the home.

Through the feasibility study, we will identify any necessary refinements of the intervention, clarify processes for recruitment, randomisation and retention in a future cluster randomised controlled trial and determine the parameters for a sample size calculation and future cost effectiveness evaluation.

For further information about the project, please contact Dr Santosh Bhatta (santosh.bhatta@uwe.ac.uk).