Parental Perceptions of Early Childhood Research with In-Home Monitoring: A Qualitative Study

Background Despite growing interest in novel approaches to measure home environmental effects on the developing child (the exposome), parental perceptions remain poorly understood. Parents’ perspectives are important for building trust, assessing feasibility, and increasing participation in research that includes home monitoring technologies. We aimed to explore parents’ perceptions regarding these topics. Methods A diverse group of new and expecting mothers participated in semi-structured interviews. A single interviewer conducted all sessions and introduced a hypothetical longitudinal observational early childhood home-based research study including novel home monitoring approaches: 1) wearable devices, 2) audio monitoring, and 3) environmental sampling. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded. A constant comparative approach identified themes from transcripts. Results Twenty-four interviews were completed. Emerging themes included 1) Positive Perceptions; 2) Incentives; 3) Transparency and Purpose; 4) Privacy and Safety Concerns; and 5) Logistics and Feasibility. Perceptions were similar across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. Overall perceptions were positive with several central motivators for hypothetical participation. Participants desired additional information related to feasibility and the purpose of studies. Many had concerns related to wearable device safety and data privacy; a trusting relationship with the research team was a priority. Conclusion Many participants had positive sentiments regarding longitudinal observational studies involving pregnancy and infancy with various incentives, yet they expressed concerns about safety, privacy, feasibility, and transparency. These findings can inform future perinatal and early childhood research study design, particularly those that novel home monitoring approaches, to ensure protocols and communication are transparent, inclusive, and appealing to parents. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement All phases of this study were supported by the Founders' Board of Lurie Children's Hospital. ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: The IRB of Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital gave ethical approval for this work (IRB 2022-5534). I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors. * SES : Socioeconomic Status