PFL Evaluation Team at the UCD Geary Institute. (2013). Preparing For Life: Early childhood intervention. Assessing the impact of Preparing For Life at eighteen months. Dublin, Ireland: UCD Geary Institute.
| Design | Attrition | Baseline equivalence | Confounding factors? | Valid, reliable measures? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randomized controlled trial | Low |
Not assessed for randomized controlled trials with low attrition |
No |
Yes |
Notes from the review of this manuscript
Several findings not reported in the tables below received a low rating because they had high attrition and did not satisfy the baseline equivalence requirement or did not satisfy the reliability requirement. Findings about mothers’ civic engagement, partnership status, household size, the presence of grandparents, and whether the mother knows the baby’s weight are ineligible for review because they do not fall in one of HomVEE’s eligible outcome domains. Measures of the fathers’ income and education are ineligible for review because HomVEE does not review measures of family self-sufficiency for the father, unless the manuscript clearly indicates that the father resides in the household.
| Outcome Measure | Timing of Follow-Up | Rating | Direction of Effect | Effect Size (Absolute Value) | Stastical Significance | Sample Size | Sample Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories: Words and Gestures (CDI-WG), Vocabulary Words Produced | 18 months old | High | 0.00 | Not statistically significant, p = 0.99 | 126 children | High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample | |
| MacArthur-Bates Communicative Developmental Inventories: Words and Gestures (CDI-WG), Vocabulary Words Understood | 18 months old | High | 0.17 | Not statistically significant, p = 0.34 | 126 children | High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample |
| Outcome Measure | Timing of Follow-Up | Rating | Direction of Effect | Effect Size (Absolute Value) | Stastical Significance | Sample Size | Sample Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equivalised weekly household income | 18 months old | High | 0.05 | Not statistically significant, p = 0.78 | 139 families | High PFL vs. Low PFL; Dublin, Ireland 2008-2010; full sample |
This study included participants from the following locations:
- State not reported or international
Study participants were pregnant women recruited in a maternity hospital or in the community. A total of 233 pregnant women were randomly assigned to either the Preparing for Life—Home Visiting group that received home visiting services (“high PFL”; 115 participants) or the comparison condition that did not receive home visiting services (“low PFL”; 118 participants). A total of 154 participants were included in the study, 74 in the high PFL group and 80 in the low PFL comparison group. Outcomes were measured when the children in the sample were 18 months old. At intake, the average age of the mothers was 25. The percentage of mothers identifying as Irish was 96 percent, and 4 percent identified as Irish Traveller. About half of the women were first-time mothers.
The study took place in North Dublin, Ireland.
Note: Navigate to the model page for more information about the home visiting model. See the source manuscript for more information about how the model was implemented in this study.
Participants in the low PFL (comparison) group did not have access to the home visiting services or tip sheets. The comparison group did, however, receive some of the same resources made available to the high PFL (intervention) group, including the package of safety items and toys. These participants had access to an information officer who met with participants before the child’s birth and at various intervals after birth and provided information on Preparing for Life community events and other local services. Participants in the comparison group had access to public health workshops, such as a stress-control program and a healthy food program.
• Maternal substance use/disorder (smoked or drank during pregnancy) • Relationship status (mother currently has a partner) • Pregnancy status (currently pregnant or not currently pregnant) • Maternal childcare use (uses out-of-home care) • Maternal employment (currently working)
The Atlantic Philanthropies and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (Ireland) supported the research.