The Baby Box scheme in Scotland: A study of public attitudes and social value

Abstract

Background: The Scottish Government introduced a free Baby Box scheme for all new parents in 2017, modelled on the Finnish scheme, to give every baby 'an equal start in life'. There is little evidence that it results in better health outcomes, but there has been limited research into different perspectives and discourses on such schemes.Methods: Four focus groups were conducted with 21 parents in North-East Scotland. Recordings were transcribed verbatim, anonymized and analysed thematically with NVivo 12 software. Our thematic analysis was both inductive and deductive-remaining open to themes identified by participants themselves but also informed by the social policy literature on universalism and social cohesion.Results: Across all the focus groups, we found a high degree of positivity about the principle of the Baby Box scheme, and for the most part the practical value of the contents. This was remarkably consistent across different communities and backgrounds. There was little evidence of the strongly polarized views present in media reporting. Parents seemed considerably less focused than the media on safety and health outcomes, and more focused on practical, material and social impacts.They reported little in the way of feeling patronized or monitored by the government. Conclusion: Our findings have important implications for future economic evaluations of the baby box. Such evaluations should broaden the valuation space beyond health outcomes to allow for the value of feelings of inclusion, solidarity and being part of a community. Patient or Public Contribution: This small project was designed in response to parent views already collected in the early roll-out of the Baby Box scheme in Scotland, about their priorities and responses to the scheme.

The health impact of Scotland's Baby Box Scheme: a natural experiment evaluation using national linked health data

“…As others have noted, alongside outcome evaluations, understanding cost-effectiveness and the user experience are necessary to understand the wider social effect of SBBS and related schemes. 14 …”

“…Other research on baby boxes has focused on parental experiences and perceptions. 9 , 12 , 13 , 14 It is thus necessary to establish the health effect of these schemes.…”