Background

As part of an effort to rigorously apply behavioral science to child protection efforts, a behavior change model called Nurturing Care Groups (NCGs) was tested for effectiveness in changing child abuse and corporal punishment behaviors.

Objective

The primary research question was to what degree NCGs could change child protection knowledge, attitudes, and practices among caregivers in a low-cost program with broad reach, which could feasibly be scaled.

Participants and setting

The NCG project was implemented in two distinct ecological zones in Ghana, reaching 73,959 caregivers of children under 5 across 41 communities; while 20 communities were control sites with no NCG intervention.

Methods

Stratified random sampling was used to select intervention area respondents. Cluster sampling was utilized in control areas, using the Probability Proportional to Size method. Standard measures were used to assess changes in practices of violence and abuse, stress experience and management, parenting techniques, and the household environment. Difference-in-difference linear regression was used to compare intervention and control results.

Results

Intervention areas demonstrated statistically-significant and substantial changes in reported knowledge, attitudes and behaviors related to physical abuse and corporal punishment. Knowledge of negative impacts of stress on parenting, as well as stress reduction techniques increased in intervention areas, as did positive discipline and parenting practices.

Conclusions

The NCG model demonstrated important promising results for changing child protection behaviors in this descriptive study. Statistically-significant decreases in reported physical and psychological punishment and corresponding increases in reported positive discipline indicate that this may be an effective and low-cost intervention for child protection behavior change.

中文翻译：

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养育护理小组行为改变计划对加纳儿童保护结果的影响：试验前后的对照

背景

作为将行为科学严格应用于儿童保护工作的努力的一部分，测试了一种称为养育护理小组 (NCG) 的行为改变模型在改变虐待儿童和体罚行为方面的有效性。

客观的

主要研究问题是 NCG 可以在多大程度上改变看护人在广泛覆盖的低成本项目中的儿童保护知识、态度和实践，该项目可以可行地扩展。

参与者和设置

NCG 项目在加纳的两个不同生态区实施，惠及 41 个社区的 73,959 名 5 岁以下儿童的看护者；而 20 个社区是没有 NCG 干预的控制点。

方法

分层随机抽样用于选择干预区域的受访者。在控制区域使用整群抽样，使用与规模成比例的概率方法。标准措施用于评估暴力和虐待行为、压力体验和管理、育儿技巧和家庭环境的变化。差对差线性回归用于比较干预和控制结果。

结果

干预领域表明，报告的与身体虐待和体罚相关的知识、态度和行为发生了统计上显着和实质性的变化。压力对养育的负面影响的知识以及减压技术在干预领域有所增加，积极的管教和养育实践也是如此。

结论

在这项描述性研究中，NCG 模型展示了改变儿童保护行为的重要有希望的结果。报告的身体和心理惩罚的统计显着减少以及报告的积极管教的相应增加表明这可能是一种有效且低成本的儿童保护行为改变干预措施。