Evaluation of an enhanced approach to the dissemination of the North American Guidelines for Children's Agricultural Tasks: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background: The North American Guidelines for Children's Agricultural Tasks were developed to assist farm parents in assigning developmentally appropriate and safe work to children aged 7 to 16 years. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of the standard dissemination strategy with an enhanced, multiphased, dissemination approach in influencing parents to use/apply North American Guidelines for Children's Agricultural Tasks when assigning farm work to their children.

Methods: A multisite-randomized trial was performed. During 1999, 498 farms in Canada and the United States were enrolled. Enhanced dissemination activities included the provision of a video, personalized child development information, and supportive telephone calls. Follow-up with all farms occurred during the fall of 2000 to assess parental reaction to North American Guidelines for Children's Agricultural Tasks and to determine whether North American Guidelines for Children's Agricultural Tasks were actually used.

Results: Proportions of parents who were actively using North American Guidelines for Children's Agricultural Tasks at 15 months were 108/218 (49.5%) and 83/224 (37.1%) in the experimental and control groups, respectively (difference: 12.5%, 95% CI: 3.4, 21.7). Parental knowledge of the content of North American Guidelines for Children's Agricultural Tasks was also increased in the enhanced dissemination group.

Conclusion: These results have important implications for dissemination of the North American Guidelines for Children's Agricultural Tasks resources. An enhanced dissemination strategy appears to increase the likelihood that North American Guidelines for Children's Agricultural Tasks will be used by farm parents.