Parent-held child health records do not improve care: A randomized controlled trial in Norway

Figures & data

Figure 1.  Random allocation of children into equal-sized intervention and control groups.

Table I.  Number and percentage (%) of children in each age group at the time of intervention.

	Children's age in months
	0–2	3–5	6–8	9–11	12–14	>15	Total
Intervention	20 (13)	24 (16)	48 (32)	30 (20)	27 (18)	1 (1)	150
Control	12 (9)	42 (30)	34 (25)	23 (17)	25 (18)	4 (2)	139

Figure 2.  Percentage of parents bringing the parent-held child health record with them when visiting different healthcare services.

Table II.  Change in experience during a period of one year regarding difficulty in talking to health personnel.

	Control	Intervention
Variables	N (%)	N (%)	p-value^a
Nurse at the centre
Less difficult	18 (14)	14 (12)
Same	86 (77)	97 (82)
More difficult	11 (9)	8 (7)	0.66
Doctor at the centre
Less difficult	13 (11)	10 (9)
Same	92 (75)	89 (75)
More difficult	17 (14)	19 (16)	0.78
Other doctors
Less difficult	10 (10)	10 (11)
Same	82 (79)	63 (71)
More difficult	12 (12)	16 (18)	0.39
Other health personnel
Less difficult	5 (11)	3 (13)
Same	36 (77)	20 (83)
More difficult	6 (13)	1 (4)	0.60^b

^ap-value from Pearson's chi-squared test. ^bEstimated with Fisher's exact test due to small expected numbers.

Table III.  Change in frequency of contact with healthcare services during a one-year period.

	Control	Intervention
Variables	N (%)	N (%)	p-value^a
Non-routine CHC during three months prior to questionnaire
Less often	11 (9)	7 (6)
Same	76 (62)	82 (66)
More often	35 (29)	35 (29)	.58
Doctor outside CHC during three months prior to questionnaire
Less often	35 (29)	37 (30)
Same	59 (48)	58 (46)
More often	28 (23)	30 (24)	.95
Specialist or hospital during six months prior to questionnaire
Less often	18 (14)	19 (15)
Same	91 (73)	93 (74)
More often	16 (13)	13 (10)	.84

^ap-value from Pearson's chi-squared test. CHC = child health centre.

Table IV.  Change in parents’ knowledge concerning their child's health during a one-year period.

	Control	Intervention
Variables	N (%)	N (%)	p-value^a
Newborns get the best view of me at a distance of 60 cm
Agree less	37 (32)	34 (30)
Same	55 (48)	59 (52)
Agree more	23 (20)	21 (18)	.84
I should call a doctor when my child's temperature passes 39°C
Agree less	22 (18)	30 (25)
Same	58 (47)	44 (37)
Agree more	44 (36)	44 (37)	.22
I should let the child use a baby-walker or jumping-reins
Agree less	8 (8)	8 (7)
Same	95 (79)	99 (86)
Agree more	17 (14)	10 (9)	.40

^ap-value from Pearson's chi-squared test.