New parents prefer books to Internet resources, study finds

In a world where all types of information is just a mouse click away, professor Karen Benzies and her research team at the Faculty of Nursing have discovered well-researched, easy-to-read books still work for new parents. The parents in the study used the books more than the online version.

The research team enrolled 383 new parents (326 mothers and 57 fathers) in their Welcome to Parenthood research project. Before they left the hospital with their new baby, the parents were given a bag containing a number of items, including the Alberta Health Services parenting guidebook Healthy Parents, Healthy Children. A research assistant or hospital volunteer reviewed the contents of the bag and Benzies says the interaction between the parents and research assistant and volunteer was crucial.

“With regard to the books, they are a bit daunting for new parents, particularly tired ones,” says Benzies, a member of the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute. The research assistant spent time with the parents, even bookmarking important pages of the book with sticky notes, and that interaction encouraged ongoing engagement with the parenting handbook.

Read the full story in the Oct. 5 issue of UToday.