Journal Article

Nurse-led home-visitation programme for first-time mothers in reducing maltreatment and improving child health and development (BB:2-6): longer-term outcomes from a randomised cohort using data linkage

Pockett, Rhys D, Moody, Gwenllian, Owen-Jones, Eleri, Slater, Thomas, Angel, Lianna, Robling, Michael, Lugg-Widger, Fiona V, Sanders, Julia, Kenkre, Joyce, Segrott, Jeremy, Cannings-John, Rebecca, Fitzsimmons, Deborah, Channon, Sue, Hood, Kerenza

2022

Overview

ObjectivesMeasure effectiveness of family nurse partnership (FNP) home-visiting programme in reducing maltreatment and improving maternal health and child health, developmental and educational outcomes; explore effect moderators, mediators; describe costs.DesignFollow-up of BB:0–2 trial cohort (ISRCTN:23019866) up to age 7 years in England using record linkage.Participants1618 mothers aged 19 years or younger and their firstborn child(ren) recruited to BB:0–2 trial at less than 25 weeks gestation and not mandatorily withdrawn from trial or opted out. Intervention families were offered up to a maximum of 64 home visits by specially trained nurses from pregnancy until firstborn child was 2 years old, plus usually provided health and social care support. Comparator was usual care alone.Outcome measuresPrimary outcome: state-verified child-in-need status recorded at any time during follow-up. Secondary outcomes: referral to social services, child protection registration (plan), child-in-need categorisation, looked-after status, recorded injuries and ingestions any time during follow-up, early childcare and educational attendance, school readiness and attainment at key stage 1 (KS1), healthcare costs.ResultsMatch rates for 1547 eligible children (1517 singletons, 15 sets of twins) were 98.3% (NHS Digital) and 97.4% (National Pupil Database). There was no difference between study arms in the proportion of children being registered as in need (adjusted OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.74 to 1.31), or for any other measure of maltreatment. Children in the FNP arm were more likely to achieve a good level of development at reception age (school readiness) (adjusted OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.52). After adjusting for birth month, children in FNP arm were more likely to reach the expected standard in reading at KS1 (adjusted OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.57). We found no trial arm differences for resource use and costs.ConclusionsFNP did not improve maltreatment or maternal outcomes. There was evidence of small advantages in school readiness and attainment at KS1.Trial registration numberISRCTN23019866.

• Publisher: British Medical Journal Publishing Group,BMJ Publishing Group LTD,BMJ Publishing Group
• Subject: Adult / Age / Child / Child Health / child protection / Child, Preschool / Children & youth / Childrens health / Families & family life / Female / House Calls / Humans / Information Storage and Retrieval / Injuries / Mothers / Multiple births / Nurse's Role / Nurses / Pregnancy / preventive medicine / Public Health / Womens health / Young Adult