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This study investigates strategies to enhance parental engagement in a digital health platform through improved communication methods.

May 8, 2026Open Access

Abstract Number: Esoc2026a1736 Behavioral Insights for Public Health Engagement: A Cluster-Randomized Study on Parental Registration in Fast Heroes

Key Points

This study investigates strategies to enhance parental engagement in a digital health platform through improved communication methods.
Four-arm cluster-controlled trial conducted in 37 kindergartens with 872 pupils.
Schools were assigned to different communication strategies: printed letter, e-mail with registration link, e-mail with teacher feedback, and chatbot reminders.
Outcome measured was parental registration within eight weeks, analyzed using chi-square tests and generalized estimating equation logistic regression.
Parental registration varied significantly by communication strategy (χ2(3) = 27.12, P < 0.001).
The highest registration rate was 24.1% with e-mail plus teacher feedback; 20.0% for e-mail alone, 11.6% for printed letter, and 7.6% for chatbot prompts.
E-mail plus teacher feedback more than doubled registration likelihood compared to printed letters (RR = 2.07, 95% CI: 1.39–3.09).

Abstract

Abstract Background and aims FAST Heroes is an international, school-based stroke education programme that improves family stroke preparedness through child-mediated learning. Despite strong evidence of educational and public-health impact, parental engagement with the programme’s digital platform remains low, limiting reinforcement and sustained participation. This study aimed to identify behaviorally informed communication strategies that increase parental online registration. Methods We conducted a prospective, four-arm cluster-controlled trial in 37 kindergartens (n = 872 pupils) that had previously implemented FAST Heroes without parental log-ins. Schools were assigned to one of four strategies: printed letter; e-mail letter with direct registration link; e-mail plus weekly teacher feedback on class-level registrations; or e-mail plus teacher feedback and automated chatbot reminders. The primary outcome was parental registration within eight weeks. Differences across conditions were assessed using chi-square tests, risk ratios and generalized estimating equation logistic regression to account for clustering. Results Parental registration differed significantly by communication strategy (χ2(3) = 27.12, P 0.001). The highest uptake occurred in the e-mail plus teacher feedback condition (24.1%), followed by stand-alone e-mail (20.0%), printed letter (11.6%) and chatbot-enhanced prompting (7.6%). Compared with printed letters, e-mail plus teacher feedback more than doubled registration likelihood (RR = 2.07, 95% CI: 1.39–3.09). Urban schools showed higher overall engagement, while rural schools performed better in the stand-alone e-mail condition. Class size was not associated with registration. Conclusions Low-friction digital prompts combined with trusted teacher-mediated feedback substantially improve parental engagement in school-based public-health platforms. Messenger credibility and contextual tailoring are key drivers of digital uptake. Conflict of interest This project has received funding from Boehringer Ingelheim (Grant number 695751, 2023).

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Cite This Study

Merwe et al. (Fri,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69fd7ef7bfa21ec5bbf07482 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1093/esj/aakag023.116

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