Healthy Beginnings

Model Effectiveness
Evidence Based Model
MIECHV Eligible

55

Manuscripts

Released in 1979 through 2023

3

Manuscripts

Impact studies rated high or moderate quality

Services intended at ages
Prenatal
0-6 months
07-11 months
12-23 months
0-11 months (WILL BE REMOVED)
Favorable results from well-defined research
Child development and school readiness
Child health
Maternal health
Positive parenting practices

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Where to find out more

Effectiveness

This model meets criteria established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for an evidence-based home visiting model.

Does not meet criteria for an evidence-based home visiting model for Indigenous peoples and communities.

Extent of Evidence

For more information about manuscripts, search the research database.

For more information on the criteria used to rate research, please see details of HomVEEʼs methods and standards.

55

Manuscripts

Released in 1979 through 2023

4

Manuscripts

Eligible for review

3

Manuscripts

Impact studies rated high or moderate quality

Note: When an individual manuscript reports findings from multiple studies, HomVEE reviews each study as a distinct manuscript. In these rare instances, HomVEE counts that manuscript multiple times in this table, once for each study identified, screened, and reviewed by HomVEE.

Summary of Findings

To see details on each manuscript HomVEE reviewed in well-designed research, click on the manuscript counts in the table.

Favorable:
A finding showing a statistically significant impact on an outcome measure in a direction that is beneficial for children and parents.

No effect:
Findings are not statistically significant.

Unfavorable:
A finding showing a statistically significant impact on an outcome measure in a direction that may indicate potential harm to children and/or parents.

Outcomes Manuscripts Favorable Findings No Effects Findings Unfavorable Findings
Child development and school readiness View 2 Manuscripts 1 2 0
Child health View 3 Manuscripts 14 13 2
Family economic self-sufficiency Not measured - - -
Linkages and referrals Not measured - - -
Maternal health View 2 Manuscripts 3 13 0
Positive parenting practices View 3 Manuscripts 5 1 0
Reductions in child maltreatment Not measured - - -
Reductions in juvenile delinquency, family violence, and crime Not measured - - -

Research Characteristics

Well-designed impact studies about this model included participants with the following characteristics:

Maternal Education

Less than a high school diploma
18.06%
High school diploma or GED
55.15%
Bachelor's degree or higher
26.38%
Unknown
0.41%

Implementation

In this section:

Overview

Theoretical approach, intended population, and targeted outcomes.

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Support Availability

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Service Delivery

Model services, adaptions and enhancements, model intensity and length.

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Requirements

Staffing and organizational requirements.

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Overview

Theoretical approach

Healthy Beginnings is designed to prevent children from becoming overweight and obese. The program draws on research demonstrating the link between being overweight and obese during childhood and immediate and long-term adverse health and social-emotional effects. Recognizing that a child’s environment influences nutrition and physical activity, the program uses a family-focused approach to address risk factors associated with childhood obesity.

The model emphasizes the following messages:

•    “Breast is best”
•    “No solids for me until six months”
•    “I eat a variety of fruit and vegetables every day”
•    “Only water in my cup”
•    “I am part of an active family”
•    “TV away, let’s go play”

The model has been adapted for virtual service delivery using telephone or text messaging. The text messaging delivery model has been adapted to support caregivers of infants from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

Intended population

Healthy Beginnings serves first-time mothers of infants from socially and economically disadvantaged areas of Sydney.

Targeted outcomes

The model aims to prevent childhood obesity by improving child and family eating patterns, reducing sedentary activities such as television viewing, and increasing physical activity.

Highlights

Services intended at ages
Prenatal
0-6 months
07-11 months
12-23 months
0-11 months (WILL BE REMOVED)

Support Availability

Implementation support availability

Healthy Beginnings was designed by researchers from Sydney and South Western Sydney Local Health Districts Health Promotion Service and the University of Sydney, in Australia. The Healthy Beginnings team at the University of Sydney works with programs to ensure the model is being implemented with fidelity. The team also provides intervention materials and evaluation tools. 

The Healthy Beginnings team is available to support replication in the United States. 

Highlights

Locations where model has been implemented
Internationally, outside the U.S.

Service Delivery

Model services

In Healthy Beginnings, nurse home visitors provide home visits to first-time mothers with newborns. During each visit, nurse home visitors address infant nutrition and physical activity, family nutrition and physical activity, and family social support. Using questions tailored to the child’s age, the nurse home visitors initiate discussions and provide information on topics listed in a visit checklist. The nurse home visitors offer referrals if the family has questions or concerns unrelated to the discussion topics. Telephone support is available between visits.

Model intensity and length

Families receive eight home visits at the following stages: the prenatal period and when the child is 1, 3, 5, 8, 12, 18, and 24 months old. Each visit ranges in length from 45 to 90 minutes. The visits are designed to coincide with early childhood developmental milestones related to feeding practices, nutrition and physical activity, and parent-child interactions.

Adaptations and enhancements

No adaptations or enhancements that would be eligible for HomVEE review have been made to the model.

Highlights

Language that the program is available in
Other language
Maximum program duration
More than one year up to three years
Visit frequency
Visit frequency varies
Delivery Method Supported
Supports in-person service delivery only

Requirements

Staffing requirements

Nurse home visitors are experienced child and family health nurses who receive basic training followed by minimal supervision. 

The model requires the nurse home visitors to participate in pre-service training. Before conducting home visits, the nurse home visitors receive training on the following topics:

  • Developing respectful family partnerships
  • Early brain development; attachment theory; infant states, cues, and state modulation
  • Measuring a child’s weight and length     
  • Nutrition, including infant feeding, introduction of solids, water as main other drink, cup feeding, serving sizes, fruit and vegetables, family food, reading labels, and healthy snacks
  • Australian Breastfeeding Association guidelines
  • Grief and loss in the perinatal period
  • Play training
  • Child protection
  • Food security
  • Pre- and postnatal exercises
  • Physical activity training, including stages of change model and motivational training

The model also requires the nurse home visitors to participate in two hours of in-service training each month.

Please contact the model developer for additional information about the pre-service training and ongoing professional development requirements.

Organizational requirements

The Sydney and South Western Sydney Local Health District Health Promotion Service oversees program implementation. The Health Promotion Service develops, implements, and evaluates community-based programs designed to reduce health disparities.

The model developer outlines fidelity guidelines in Healthy Beginnings: A User’s Guide. Please contact the model developer for additional information about these guidelines.

Highlights

Minimum education requirement
Bachelor’s degree

HomVEE requests input and feedback from the model developers on their profiles. The information in this implementation profile reflects feedback, if provided, from this model’s developer as of the above date. HomVEE reserves the right to edit the profile for clarity and consistency. The description of the implementation of the model(s) here may differ from how the model(s) was implemented in the manuscripts reviewed to determine this model’s evidence of effectiveness. Model developers are encouraged to notify HomVEE of any changes to their contact information on this page.