Caughy, M. O., Huang, K., Miller, T., & Genevro, J. L. (2004). The effects of Healthy Steps for Young Children Program: Results from observations of parenting and child development. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 19(4), 611–630.
Model(s) Reviewed:
Healthy Steps (National Evaluation 1996 Protocol)
| 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 | High | Established on race/ethnicity and SES (i.e., maternal education and Medicaid coverage). Equivalence on baseline measures is not feasible. | None | None | Not assessed in manuscripts reviewed before 2021 |
Notes:
The standard errors in Caughy et al. (2004) are adjusted for making multiple comparisons.
| Study participants | The sample included 378 mothers with children ages 16 to 18 months at assessment. All women enrolled in Healthy Steps within four weeks of the child’s birth. Study enrollment occurred between September 1996 and November 1998. Most mothers had a high school degree (86%) and one in five also had a college degree. Study participants tended to be either white (62%) or African American (25%). The most common maternal age groups were 20-29 (57%) and over 30 (25%). Two in three mothers were married. |
|---|---|
| Setting | The study used two of the six randomly assigned pediatric care sites that were part of the national evaluation of Healthy Steps (Amarillo, TX, and Florence, SC). One site was in the southeast and one site was in the southwest. Both sites served economically and racially/ethnically diverse populations. |
| Intervention services | Healthy Steps Specialists provided well-child care, home visits, a child development telephone information line, child development and family health checkups, written materials for parents that emphasize prevention, parent group meetings, and links to community resources. The program offered families nine standard pediatric office visits and six home visits by the time the children were age 3. Healthy Steps families received, on average, two home visits. |
| Comparison conditions | Children in the control group received routine pediatric care but had no exposure to the Healthy Steps Specialist or to Healthy Steps materials. |
| 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). Subgroups are not listed for manuscripts reviewed before 2021. |
| Funding sources | Funder(s) not listed. |
| Author affiliation | None of the study authors are developers of this model. |
| Peer reviewed | Peer reviewed status is not listed for manuscripts reviewed before 2021. |
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 | Attachment Q-sort scale | FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect |
2 of the 6 RCT national evaluation sites | 16-18 mo. | 378 children | Mean = 0.37 | Mean = 0.36 | Mean difference = 0.01 | Not available | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 |