Promoting research-based parenting strategies through U.S. local television news: An experimental evaluation of the Positive Parenting Newsfeed project

ABSTRACT Research finds that parents’ knowledge and practices exert significant influence on the developmental outcomes of children and youth. Formal parenting programs that improve parenting knowledge and practices can positively impact children’s development and behavior; however, these programs tend to be limited in terms of their scope and size of the populations they serve. We conducted an experimental study to evaluate the effectiveness of the Positive Parenting Newsfeed project – a wide-reaching parenting initiative that features rigorous research-based strategies and recommendations for parents through monthly TV news reports in English and Spanish. In a sample of 381 parents, we evaluated outcomes such as parents’ knowledge about the topics covered in the reports, intent to adopt, and adoption of research-based parenting behaviors. Compared to a control group, we find that parents exposed to the 1–1.5-minute Positive Parenting TV news segments report higher knowledge about research-based parenting topics, are more likely to report intention to adopt the behaviors featured in the segments, and implement more behaviors that follow the featured advice, one week and one month after watching the segments. IMPACT SUMMARY Prior State of Knowledge. Public education campaigns, specifically public health education campaigns, have found success in modifying mass population opinions and behaviors, but rarely focus on child development topics. Novel Contributions. This study is the first experimental evaluation to examine the effectiveness of communicating research-based parenting strategies to parents through videos displayed in local TV news segments, on parents’ knowledge, intent to adopt, and adoption of behaviors. Practical Implications. News producers and policymakers need to address global challenges and promote positive child outcomes, and television news can be an effective medium to provide important information to parents – the most important adults in children’s lives