Infant Health is a research project that investigates mental health and weight development in the child’s first year of life, as well as options for preventing psychological difficulties and obesity in early childhood. 

Research shows that mental health problems and unhealthy weight development are an increasing problem among Danish children and that there is a need for prevention early in the child’s life. At the same time, this area has only been studied to a limited extent.

Our aim is to strengthen young children’s development and well-being

The overall purpose of Infant Health is to explore new ways of prevention that can strengthen young children’s development and well-being. Specifically, we are investigating a new method for preventing the development of mental health problems and unhealthy weight early in the child’s life.

Our research is based on:

• The close interaction between mental and physical development in infants
• The potential of healthcare in prevention through improving parents’ opportunities to support their children.

Read more about the development and well-being of young children by clicking here.

Collaboration between community health nurses and researchers

The research project Infant Health is based on a close and long-standing collaboration with the healthcare service in 16 Danish municipalities: Albertslund, Allerød, Brøndby, Dragør, Egedal, Fredensborg, Gladsaxe, Glostrup, Herlev, Hillerød, Høje-Taastrup, Kalundborg, Køge, Roskilde, Rudersdal and Vejle.

Prior to the project, the participating municipalities had implemented the PUF programme, which includes a standardised assessment of the child’s development and well-being during the community health nurse’s home visits when the child is 9–10 months old. 

Read more about the PUF programme here.

We are testing a new method

The project assesses the child’s development and well-being between 9 and 24 months and explores a new method called VIPP-PUF (Video-feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting – Physical Development and Function). VIPP-PUF’s focus is to give parents even better conditions for supporting their child’s development.

Read more about VIPP-PUF here.

From 16 August 2021 to 31 October 2023, parents of children aged 9–10 months are invited to participate in the project. Based on the community health nurse’s PUF assessment and dialogue with the parents, the community health nurse makes a professional assessment of whether the child and parents can participate in the project.

To investigate the effect of the VIPP-PUF method, the project is carried out as a randomised study. This means that families to be offered the municipality’s usual healthcare services and families to be offered the VIPP-PUF programme are selected at random. The distribution is made by drawing lots with the municipalities about when VIPP-PUF is to be offered.

All parents participating in the project fill out electronic questionnaires when the child reaches 9–10 months, 18 months and 24 months. In addition, the child’s development and growth are examined by the community health nurse during an extraordinary home visit at 24 months of age.

Selected parents and community health nurses are also invited to participate in interviews.

When the child is around 24 months, families are also invited to participate in a subproject based on the parents’ video recordings of the child and one parent during play and eating at home.

You can read more about the video project here.

Opportunities for prevention in the healthcare service

In Infant Health, we wanted to investigate the possibilities and conditions for implementing preventive initiatives targeted at infants’ mental and physical health in the healthcare service in the municipalities.

Thus, we examine how well the VIPP-PUF initiative is implemented, how it fits into the healthcare service, how VIPP-PUF programmes are perceived by parents and community health nurses and what else could have an impact on how the municipal healthcare services use the VIPP-PUF method. To investigate the implementation of VIPP-PUF, we use both quantitative and qualitative methods, including questionnaires and interviews.

You can read more about the process evaluation here.

Sub-studies in Infant Health

The Infant Health project contains the following sub-studies:

• The effect of municipality-based initiatives to promote mental health among infants with developmental, emotional and self-regulation vulnerabilities – a cluster randomised study
  
  
• Promoting healthy weight development through sensitive parenting of vulnerable infants
  
  
• An ethnographic study of the healthcare service as a context for preventive intervention in early childhood
  
  
• A mixed methods study of the implementation of a preventive intervention in the healthcare service among families with infants – with special focus on parents’ perceptions and perspective
  
  
• Skill development and anchoring – community health nurses’ initiatives for dealing with mental health problems in infants

The research project Infant Health followed scientific ethical rules and all information was processed in accordance with data legislation. The project was approved by data controllers and research ethics bodies at the University of Southern Denmark, including the Research and Innovation Organisation (RIO) and the Research Ethics Committee (REC).

The design and methods of the project are described in more detail at Clinical Trials.

Our partners and grants

Infant Health is supported by the Independent Research Fund Denmark and the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

During the project period, we will collaborate with a number of municipalities and national and international researchers. Read more about our collaboration partners here.

Timetable

Families are invited to participate in the project from 16 August 2021 to 31 October 2023. The gathering of questionnaires and carrying out home visits when the child is 24 months old are expected to be completed in spring 2025. The first final results are expected in 2026.

Perspectives for children’s health in Denmark

Infant Health encompasses comprehensive perspectives on the prevention of mental health problems and unhealthy weight development in children.

Through the research project Infant Health, we will gain more knowledge about what is required to prevent the development of mental health problems and unhealthy weight development early in the child’s life. At the same time, we will gain more knowledge about how community health nurses can best help parents of infants.

The knowledge we gain about the development of Danish infants will help us map factors and developmental traits that affect how vulnerable infants develop skills that affect the child’s psychological and social functioning.

Infant Health is the result of many years of close collaboration between child researchers and community health nurses, in which research results have been continuously translated into daily practice in the municipal healthcare service. Infant Health builds on this tradition, and the results of the project therefore have special potential to be used in the municipalities in direct continuation of the project period and in the long term be implemented in all municipalities in Denmark.