TY - JOUR PY - 2015// TI - Improving adolescent parenting: results from a randomized controlled trial of a home visiting program for young families JO - American journal of public health A1 - Jacobs, Francine A1 - Easterbrooks, M. Ann A1 - Goldberg, Jessica A1 - Mistry, Jayanthi A1 - Bumgarner, Erin A1 - Raskin, Maryna A1 - Fosse, Nathan A1 - Fauth, Rebecca SP - 342 EP - 349 VL - 106 IS - 2 N2 - OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to estimate the effects of Healthy Families Massachusetts, a statewide home visiting program serving first-time adolescent parents, on parenting, child development, educational attainment, family planning, and maternal health and well-being.

METHODS: We used a randomized controlled trial design to randomly assign the 704 participants to a group receiving home visiting services or a control group. Between 2008 and 2012, telephone and in-person interviews were conducted and administrative data obtained at 12 and 24 months after enrollment. Intention-to-treat analyses compared group differences across 5 outcome domains: parenting, child health and development, educational and economic achievement, family planning, and parental health and well-being.

RESULTS: The home visiting program had a positive influence on parenting stress, college attendance, condom use, intimate partner violence, and engagement in risky behaviors. No negative findings were observed.

CONCLUSIONS: A paraprofessional home visiting program specifically targeting young mothers appears effective in domains of particular salience to young parents and their infants and toddlers. Expanding participation in the program appears a worthy goal for program administrators and policymakers. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print November 12, 2015: e1-e8. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2015.302919).

Language: en

LA - en SN - 0090-0036 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2015.302919 ID - ref1 ER -