Aim: This study sought to evaluate the efficacy of a digitally-delivered educational intervention, specifically kangaroo care (KC) training administered to expectant fathers during the antenatal period, on improving postpartum father-infant attachment. Method: A randomised controlled educational intervention experimental study wasconducted between December 2022 and June 2023 at a semi-urban district state hospital in a province in southeastern Türkiye. It involved a total of 50 fathers (intervention group n = 25; control group n = 25). The educational methodology utilised mobile health (m-Health) technology. Fathers in the intervention group received detailed KC training via a dedicated instructional video distributed by WhatsApp during the antenatal period. Postpartum, the same fathers were asked to perform KC for at least 30 minutes per session, achieving a mean application time of 3.92 hours. The control group received no intervention. Father-infant attachment was assessed in both groups using the Paternal-Infant Attachment Questionnaire (PPAQ) via telephone follow-up during the first and fourth months postpartum, and the resulting mean scores were compared. Results: The analysis revealed a statistically significant difference between the intervention and control groups at both the first and fourth months postpartum ( p < .05). The fathers who received the digital KC training demonstrated significantly higher mean scores on the PPAQ, specifically across the key sub-dimensions of patience and tolerance, pleasure in interaction, and love and pride, as well as the total mean score. Conclusion: The findings affirm that the practice of KC, when effectively promoted through a scalable and accessible mobile health (WhatsApp) educational intervention delivered antenatally, had a significant positive effect on strengthening father-infant attachment in the postpartum period. Study findings support the integration of digital tools to expand the reach and impact of key health education practices to engage fathers.
Duranoğlu et al. (Sun,) studied this question.