Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-Visiting Program (MECSH) Meets HHS Criteria

Model effectiveness research report last updated: 2023

Effects shown in research

Maternal health

Findings rated high

Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-Visiting Program (MECSH)
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Outcome measure Effect Follow-up timing Sample Sample size Intervention group Comparison group Group difference Effect size Statistical significance Notes

Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS): Anxiety Scale (dichotomized, reverse coded)

FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect

3 years old

MECSH vs. comparison, Australia, 2013-2017, full sample

488 mothers Adjusted proportion = 0.85 Adjusted proportion = 0.78 Odds ratio = 1.38 Study reported = 0.20

Not statistically significant, p= 0.12

Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS): Anxiety Scale (reverse coded)

FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect

3 years old

MECSH vs. comparison, Australia, 2013-2017, full sample

488 mothers Adjusted mean = 18.98 Adjusted mean = 18.36 Mean difference = 0.62 Study reported = 0.17

Statistically significant, p= 0.01

Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS): Depression Scale (dichotomized, reverse coded)

FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect

3 years old

MECSH vs. comparison, Australia, 2013-2017, full sample

488 mothers Adjusted proportion = 0.88 Adjusted proportion = 0.83 Odds ratio = 1.68 Study reported = 0.31

Statistically significant, p= 0.02

Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS): Depression Scale (reverse coded)

FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect

3 years old

MECSH vs. comparison, Australia, 2013-2017, full sample

488 mothers Adjusted mean = 18.52 Adjusted mean = 17.88 Mean difference = 0.64 Study reported = 0.20

Statistically significant, p= <.01

Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS): Total Score (reverse coded)

FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect

3 years old

MECSH vs. comparison, Australia, 2013-2017, full sample

487 mothers Adjusted mean = 54.15 Adjusted mean = 51.77 Mean difference = 2.38 Study reported = 0.25

Statistically significant, p= <.01

Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-Visiting Program (MECSH)
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Outcome measure Effect Follow-up timing Sample Sample size Intervention group Comparison group Group difference Effect size Statistical significance Notes

Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL)

FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect

24 months old

MECSH vs. comparison, Australia, 2013-2017, full sample

571 mothers Unadjusted mean = 0.73 Unadjusted mean = 0.73 Mean difference = 0.00 Study reported = -0.03

Not statistically significant, p= 0.78

Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale‍ (DASS), Anxiety (reverse coded)

FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect

24 months old

MECSH vs. comparison, Australia, 2013-2017, full sample

574 mothers Unadjusted mean = 19.10 Unadjusted mean = 18.92 Mean difference = 0.18 Study reported = 0.07

Not statistically significant, p= 0.34

Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale‍ (DASS), Depression (reverse coded)

FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect

24 months old

MECSH vs. comparison, Australia, 2013-2017, full sample

573 mothers Unadjusted mean = 18.71 Unadjusted mean = 18.86 Mean difference = -0.15 Study reported = -0.04

Not statistically significant, p= 0.55

Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale‍ (DASS), Overall (reverse coded)

FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect

24 months old

MECSH vs. comparison, Australia, 2013-2017, full sample

571 mothers Unadjusted mean = 54.53 Unadjusted mean = 54.20 Mean difference = 0.33 Study reported = 0.05

Not statistically significant, p= 0.52

Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale‍ (DASS), Stress (reverse coded)

FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect

24 months old

MECSH vs. comparison, Australia, 2013-2017, full sample

573 mothers Unadjusted mean = 16.74 Unadjusted mean = 16.44 Mean difference = 0.30 Study reported = 0.10

Not statistically significant, p= 0.26

Maternal stress (hair cortisol, pg/mg; logtransformed)

FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect

24 months old

MECSH vs. comparison, Australia, 2013-2017, full sample

438 mothers Unadjusted mean = 1.46 Unadjusted mean = 1.42 Mean difference = 0.04 Study reported = -0.08

Not statistically significant, p= 0.25

Mother - Does not smoke

FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect

12 months old

MECSH vs. comparison, Australia, 2013-2017, full sample

635 mothers Unadjusted proportion = 0.62 Unadjusted proportion = 0.61 Odds ratio = 0.97 Study reported = -0.02

Not statistically significant, p= 0.86

Mother - Does not smoke

FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect

24 months old

MECSH vs. comparison, Australia, 2013-2017, full sample

587 mothers Unadjusted proportion = 0.63 Unadjusted proportion = 0.66 Odds ratio = 0.82 Study reported = -0.12

Not statistically significant, p= 0.14

Mother - High self-efficacy (item drawn from Longitudinal Study of Australian Children)

FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect

24 months old

MECSH vs. comparison, Australia, 2013-2017, full sample

568 mothers Unadjusted proportion = 0.75 Unadjusted proportion = 0.76 Odds ratio = 1.15 Study reported = 0.08

Not statistically significant, p= 0.25

Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI)

FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect

24 months old

MECSH vs. comparison, Australia, 2013-2017, full sample

559 mothers Unadjusted mean = 60.01 Unadjusted mean = 58.85 Mean difference = 1.16 Study reported = 0.04

Not statistically significant, p= 0.46

Findings rated moderate

Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-Visiting Program (MECSH)
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Outcome measure Effect Follow-up timing Sample Sample size Intervention group Comparison group Group difference Effect size Statistical significance
Assisted vaginal delivery
FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect
Birth Western Sydney 199 mothers Unadjusted % = 2.80 Unadjusted % = 9.70 Difference = -6.90 Study reported = 0.30 Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05
Caesarean section
FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect
Birth Western Sydney 199 mothers Unadjusted % = 17.00 Unadjusted % = 21.50 Difference = -4.50 Study reported = 0.13 Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05
Genitourinary infection in pregnancy
FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect
Birth Western Sydney 203 mothers Unadjusted % = 19.40 Unadjusted % = 21.30 Difference = -1.90 Study reported = 0.05 Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05
Gestational diabetes
FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect
Birth Western Sydney 203 mothers Unadjusted % = 6.50 Unadjusted % = 12.60 Difference = -6.10 Study reported = 0.20 Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05
Maternal general health, very good or excellent
FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect
4-6 weeks Western Sydney 141 mothers Unadjusted % = 51.30 Unadjusted % = 35.40 Difference = 15.90 Study reported = 0.44 Statistically significant, p = 0.03
Pregnancy-induced hypertension
FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect
Birth Western Sydney 203 mothers Unadjusted % = 0.00 Unadjusted % = 4.20 Difference = -4.20 Study reported = 0.40 Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05
Unassisted vaginal delivery
FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect
Birth Western Sydney 199 mothers Unadjusted % = 80.20 Unadjusted % = 68.80 Difference = 11.40 Study reported = 0.25 Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05
Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-Visiting Program (MECSH)
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Outcome measure Effect Follow-up timing Sample Sample size Intervention group Comparison group Group difference Effect size Statistical significance
Family functioning
FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect
24 months Sydney sample 208 mothers Mean = 1.83 Mean = 1.77 Mean difference = 0.06 Not available Not Statistically significant, p = 0.21
Maternal depression
FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect
24 months Sydney sample 208 mothers Mean = 7.34 Mean = 7.07 Mean difference = 0.30 Not available Not Statistically significant, p = 0.55
Maternal experience of being a mother
FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect
12 months Sydney sample 138 mothers Mean = 30.05 Mean = 29.83 Mean difference = 0.22 Not available Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05
Maternal general health
FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect
24 months Sydney sample 208 mothers Mean = 2.42 Mean = 2.50 Mean difference = -0.08 Not available Not Statistically significant, p = 0.33
Maternal mental health
FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect
24 months Sydney sample 208 mothers Mean = 51.60 Mean = 51.33 Mean difference = 0.28 Not available Not Statistically significant, p = 0.69
Maternal physical health
FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect
24 months Sydney sample 208 mothers Mean = 48.34 Mean = 48.23 Mean difference = 0.11 Not available Not Statistically significant, p = 0.84
Maternal social support
FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect
24 months Sydney sample 208 mothers Mean = 20.11 Mean = 20.45 Mean difference = -0.34 Not available Not Statistically significant, p = 0.26
Mother never smoked
FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect
24 months Sydney sample 208 mothers % = 62.00 % = 68.00 OR = 1.30 HomVEE calculated = 0.00 Not Statistically significant, p = 0.38
Stressful life events
FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect
24 months Sydney sample 208 mothers Mean = 3.07 Mean = 3.06 Mean difference = 0.01 Not available Not Statistically significant, p = 0.98
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