Easterbrooks, M. A., Jacobs, F. H., Bartlett, J. D., Goldberg, J., Contreras, M. M., Kotake, C., Raskin, M. & Chaudhuri, J. H. (2012). Initial findings from a randomized, controlled trial of Healthy Families Massachusetts: Early program impacts on young mothers' parenting. Report to the Pew Center on the States. Medford, MA: Tufts University.
Model(s) Reviewed:
Healthy Families America (HFA)®
| Screening decision | Screening conclusion | HomVEE procedures and standards version |
|---|---|---|
| Passes screens | Eligible for review | Version 1 |
| Rating | Design | Attrition | Baseline equivalence | Compromised randomization | Confounding factors | Valid, reliable measure(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moderate | Randomized controlled trial | Low | Not established on race/ethnicity or SES; outcomes not feasible to assess at baseline. | None | None | Not assessed in manuscripts reviewed before 2021 |
| Study participants | Adolescent women were randomly assigned to Healthy Families Massachusetts (HFM) or to a control group. Eighteen HFM sites were included in the evaluation. Within the study, 837 women were recruited and randomized (information based on correspondence with author). Sixty percent of women were assigned to HFM and 40 percent to the control group (T=517, C=320). Women recruited for the study were at least 16 years old, had not received HFM services in the past, were fluent in English or Spanish, and were able to provide informed consent. Women could be pregnant or parenting at enrollment. Participants were included within the impact study analysis sample if they signed a release for administrative data and participated in a half-hour telephone intake interview (687 overall, 420 within the treatment condition and 267 within the control condition). Among women in the analysis sample, 37 percent were white non-Hispanic, 32 percent were Hispanic, 20 percent were black non-Hispanic, and 12 percent were of another racial or ethnic background; most (88 percent) were born in the U.S. and preferred English (75 percent). At enrollment, women in the analysis sample were, on average, 18.6 years old. |
|---|---|
| Setting | Eighteen HFM local program sites in Massachusetts. |
| Intervention services | Services included home visits with additional contact via phone and electronic media as needed. Home visits included goal-setting activities, group-based activities (including parenting education, peer support groups, social gatherings), and linkages and referrals to other resources. Home visits were offered weekly or biweekly during pregnancy, weekly for six months after the birth of the baby, and then in decreasing intensity based on family progress until the child was three years old. |
| Comparison conditions | Control group members were assessed using a brief intake interview, and were offered referral information and/or resources based on identified needs, such as mental health services, referrals to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and referrals to the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program (TANF). They also received monthly mailings from HFM administrators about child development. |
| Subgroups examined |
This field lists subgroups examined in the manuscript (even if they were not replicated in other samples and not reported on the summary page for this model’s report). • Mother reports being victim of maltreatment during own childhood (yes or no) |
| Funding sources | Not reported |
| Author affiliation | Authors are affiliated with Tufts University. |
| Peer reviewed | Peer reviewed status is not listed for manuscripts reviewed before 2021. |
Study Registration:
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01926223. Study registration was assessed by HomVEE beginning with the 2014 review.
Findings that rate moderate or high
| Rating | Outcome measure | Effect | Sample | Timing of follow-up | Sample size | Intervention group | Comparison group | Group difference | Effect size | Statistical significance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moderate | Substantiated child maltreatment by any perpetrator: any type of maltreatment (DCF reports) - Impact sample | FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect |
HFM Impact sample | 1 year post-enrollment | 687 | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not available | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | |
| Moderate | Substantiated child maltreatment by any perpetrator: neglect and physical abuse (DCF reports) - Impact sample | FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect |
HFM Impact sample | 1 year post-enrollment | 687 | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not available | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | |
| Moderate | Substantiated child maltreatment by any perpetrator: neglect only (DCF reports) - Impact sample | FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect |
HFM Impact sample | 1 year post-enrollment | 687 | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not available | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | |
| Moderate | Substantiated child maltreatment by any perpetrator: physical abuse only (DCF reports) - Impact sample | FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect |
HFM Impact sample | 1 year post-enrollment | 687 | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not available | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | |
| Moderate | Substantiated child maltreatment by any perpetrator: total substantiations (DCF reports) - Impact sample | FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect |
HFM Impact sample | 1 year post-enrollment | 687 | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not available | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | |
| Moderate | Substantiated child maltreatment, mother perpetrated: any type of maltreatment (DCF reports) - Impact sample | FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect |
HFM Impact sample | 1 year post-enrollment | 687 | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not available | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | |
| Moderate | Substantiated child maltreatment, mother perpetrated: neglect and physical abuse (DCF reports) - Impact sample | FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect |
HFM Impact sample | 1 year post-enrollment | 687 | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not available | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | |
| Moderate | Substantiated child maltreatment, mother perpetrated: neglect only (DCF reports) - Impact sample | FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect |
HFM Impact sample | 1 year post-enrollment | 687 | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not available | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | |
| Moderate | Substantiated child maltreatment, mother perpetrated: physical abuse only (DCF reports) - Impact sample | FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect |
HFM Impact sample | 1 year post-enrollment | 687 | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not available | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | |
| Moderate | Substantiated child maltreatment, mother perpetrated: total substantiations (DCF reports) - Impact sample | FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect |
HFM Impact sample | 1 year post-enrollment | 687 | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not available | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 |