I am conducting research into whether the CARiFiT baby wearing workouts improve a mother’s mental health and wellbeing and their attachment with baby. I am also interested in how CARiFiT affects pelvic floor muscle related issues such as incontinence and prolapse.  

 

My research has been approved by the School of Psychology Research Ethics Committee. This means that my research follows the standard of research ethics set by the British Psychological Society. 

 

Why have you been asked to participate? 

 

I am looking to involve women who have given birth in the last 6-20 weeks and are either signing up to the CARiFiT live or online classes or who will opt not to follow the CARiFiT babywearing exercise programme for 8 weeks from the start of the study.   

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What will your participation involve?

 

If you agree to participate you will be asked to:

 

• Follow an emailed link to the online survey which will include a demographic questionnaire. 

 

• The survey should take around 20 minutes to complete.

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• The survey is done by showing you brief statements to which you respond with a simple button press to indicate your answer. You will be asked to complete some questions that focus on how you see yourself. For example, you may be asked about how you feel about your baby and whether you often find yourself feeling concerned about their wellbeing, or how you tend to view the baby’s behaviour. The questions that are asked are only those that are needed for me to make sure that the data is clear and the results can be analysed usefully, and your answers remain anonymous. Finally, there is a questionnaire in which you are asked about your current sexual function and postnatal wellbeing. To complete this, you are asked only to agree or disagree with statements that very briefly describe symptoms and emotional state. For example, you may be asked whether you have felt sad or miserable in the last seven days, and whether intercourse has been uncomfortable. As before, your name is not stored with your data, so all responses remain anonymous. 

 

• The survey will need to be completed prior to your first CARiFiT class OR at the start of the study.

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• If you are part of the CARiFiT live class workout group then a minimum of 1 (but feel free to do more) class per week is required and this will also be monitored for online class participants who are expected to follow the CARiFiT online plan as detailed in the membership area and complete between 2 and 4 home workouts each week.

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• All instructions regarding the activation of your CARiFiT online membership will be communicated via email - you will also be required and permitted to join the CARiFiT online members Facebook group.

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• The same link will be emailed 8 weeks later for completion of the 3 questionnaires. 

 

I will not be able to pay you for participating in my research, but your participation would be very valuable in helping to develop knowledge and understanding of the benefits of the CARiFiT babywearing exercise concept.

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The groups you can be in are:

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1. Online group - RECRUITMENT NOW CLOSED for online!

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2. Live class group you will need to attend at least 1 live class per week at a CARiFiT live class venue.

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3. Control group you will not participate in any CARiFiT babywearing workouts for 8 weeks - this may be ideal for you if you have had caesarean or simply aren't quite ready yet. At the end of your 8 weeks you will receive your FREE CARiFiT online 8 week membership to enjoy.

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Those who choose to participate in the control group who will not partake in any babywearing exercise programmes for the 8 week period will receive a discounted online CARiFiT membership on completion of the study (£29 instead of £89) and EVERYONE will receive 8 week free online membership to enjoy as well.

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Your taking part will be safe and confidential 

 

Your privacy and safety will be respected at all times. 

 

• Participants will not be identified by the data collected, on any written material resulting from the data collected, or in any write-up of the research. 

• Participants can stop their participation at any time.

 

 

What will happen to the information that you provide?

 

• The data will be anonymous and stored electronically and password protected. 

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• Only myself and my supervisor will have access to the anonymised data and the data may be published in an academic journal

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• Once the study has been completed data will be kept securely for 1 year

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• Participants have 3 weeks after data collection to request to withdraw their data. After this point they cannot withdraw it as data analysis will have began. 

 

 

 

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