About the project

This project is part of the research project New Families, which is a collaborative project between the Oslo municipality, VID, the University of Oslo and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

New Families is a universally designed intervention program where public health nurses conduct home visits to all first-time parents from pregnancy week 28 and, depending on the family needs, until the child is two years old. New Families is an addition to the consultations in the standardized program in the Child Health Service and aims to strengthen first-time parents coping ability and self-assurance in parenting. The program is based on a salutogenetic perspective, with resource mobilization and parental support work in focus. Since autumn 2019, New Families has been implemented as a part of the Child Health Services in all districts of Oslo municipality.

New Families as a research project will explore whether the intervention program provides a better approach to first-time parents compared to the standardized follow-up in the Child Health Service. The transition to parenthood involves major physical and mental changes and can be experienced as one of the greatest transitions in life. First-time parents need support and guidance, both before and after birth. Customized support for parents can provide greater self-assurance, as well as increased competence and coping ability in the parenting role.

This project will explore first-time mothers experience of social support and quality of life in the first period after birth, and compare mothers in the intervention program with the mothers in the standardized program.

The project will utilize both quantitative and qualitative data, obtained using questionnaires and in-depth interviews of first-time mothers.

Background

Master of nursing with a community health perspective – specialization in public health nursing

Research group

Community Health Services, VID