In my PhD project, I investigate the implementation of the VIPP-PUF programme among families with infants who are covered by the municipal health service. For successful implementation, it is important that VIPP-PUF is perceived as meaningful and accommodates families’ needs and everyday lives. Therefore, the perspectives and context of the families are a special focus in my PhD project.
In my research, I use both qualitative and quantitative methods. Based on interviews with parents and community health nurses in the 16 project municipalities, I will examine the conditions that affect whether families participate in the VIPP-PUF initiative, their experiences of participating in VIPP-PUF and what significance participation may have for the families.
During 2023, I will invite parents and community health nurses in the participating municipalities to share their experiences with me through interviews.
In addition, I will quantitatively examine the implementation using register data and questionnaires for parents and community health nurses. By ‘implementation’, I mean whether the initiative has been carried out to the extent and quality that was intended. Among other things, I will investigate whether there are differences in the degree of implementation of VIPP-PUF across families.
In my research, I am interested in how ‘vulnerability’ can be understood and experienced in different ways. Qualitative studies indicate that being a family with infants can be a vulnerable period in itself, but at the same time it can be very different how, when and whether vulnerability is experienced.
It is therefore a recurring point of attention in my PhD project how vulnerability may be expressed and in what ways different aspects of vulnerability may have an impact on the community health nurse’s use of the VIPP-PUF method.
My PhD project will contribute new knowledge about the implementation of early preventive interventions and how they can best accommodate the needs and everyday lives of families with infant. This is knowledge that I hope and believe will be used in the further work with VIPP-PUF, but which can also be used in the future in the work with other preventive initiatives for families with infants.