Evidence to Action (E2A) Project’s First-Time Parent Framework

The First Time Parent (FTP) Framework defines the FTP lifestage within the broader evolution of sexual and reproductive activity typically experienced over an individual’s lifetime—from puberty to parenthood and beyond, and also adapts the socio-ecological approach to understand the broader FTP social system, and the multiple personal and environmental factors/interactions that influence health choice and action.

Using these two lenses, the framework explores the health information and service needs, inter-relational dynamics, and underlying gender and social norms that influence young parents’ health and wellbeing over the course of the FTP lifestage.

The life-course lens provides a sense of FTPs in time—how they have arrived at this moment in their reproductive lives and how this experience can shape their future. The socio-ecological lens places FTPs within their social space—identifying the people, organizations, and norms that affect who they are and what they do.

Taken together, the framework can help programmers form a multi-dimensional understanding of FTPs and their main concerns. Importantly, all elements of the framework can be further contextualized based on available data and information (e.g., key health statistics, gender and social norms, etc.) to identify the country- or location-specific needs of new parents and opportunities for program intervention.

Last modified: August 3, 2020

Language: English