Recorded presentation

Eunju Lee, PhD, Ann Lowenfels, MPH, and Rose Greene, MS. School of Social Welfare, Center for Human Services Research, 135 Western Ave., Albany, NY 12203, 5184425773, Eunjulee@pdp.albany.edu

Healthy Family America (HFA) is a child abuse prevention initiative designed to deliver services to expectant and new mothers by paraprofessional home visitors. While the model has been widely adopted in many states, there had been little evidence supporting the effects of HFA home visitation services during prenatal periods for mothers and their newborns. This study is the first to demonstrate such an effect on low birth weight (LBW< 2500 grams). Based on a large-scale randomized trial of HFA home visiting programs in the Northeast, the study uses data from interviews at intake and after delivery of 556 women recruited prenatally for the study. The home visited group received services including information on prenatal care, transportation to doctor’s appointments, access to nutritional programs, and to counseling on smoking succession. The control group did not receive any of these services. While 10.1 % of women in the control group had LBW babies, only 5% of women in the treatment group did. Controlling for age at intake, number of children, marital status, and smoking at intake, the odds ratio for LBW babies was 2.2 for women in the control group. These findings suggest that prenatal home visitations have a direct, measurable impact on birth outcomes and HFA programs should put more emphasis on enrolling expectant mothers early during the prenatal period.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to

• recognize the merits of the randomized trial for program evaluation;
• assess the impact of HFA programs on birth outcomes among at-risk expectant mothers; and
• identify strategies provided in a paraprofessional home visitation program that leads to improved birth outcomes

Keywords: Birth Outcomes, Home Visiting

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation