Reference Catalog

Towards Precision Home Visiting: Results at Six Months Postpartum From a Randomized Pilot Implementation Trial to Assess the Feasibility of a Precision Approach to Family Spirit

Allison Ingalls, Paul Rebman, Lisa Martin, Elizabeth Kushman, Amanda Leonard, Aimee Cisler, Ingrid Gschwind, Amanda Brayak, Ann Marie Amsler, and Emily E. Haroz

• Family Spirit

Background: Shared implementation challenges at scale in early childhood home visiting have led researchers to explore precision home visiting as a promising service delivery mechanism to better address families’ unique needs and build greater program efficiencies. This randomized controlled pilot study aimed to assess the acceptability of a precision approach to one home visiting model, Family Spirit® and explore potential differences between Precision Family Spirit (PFS) and Standard Family Spirit (Standard FS) on participant-home visitor relationship and maternal outcomes. Methods: Participants (N=60) were at least 14 years old, pregnant or within two months postpartum, and enrolled in Family Spirit. Four sites in Michigan were randomized 1:1 to deliver PFS (up to 17 core lessons plus up to 13 additional lessons as needed) or Standard FS (home visiting services as usual). Primary (program acceptability, participant satisfaction, home visitor-participant relationship quality, retention, adherence) and secondary (knowledge, quality of life, difficulty with parenting problems, substance use, depression, stress) outcomes at 6 months postpartum are presented. PFS participants only were assessed during home visits on a subset of secondary measures that informed which lessons they should receive. Results: Mothers in both groups reported positive program acceptability, satisfaction, and home visitor-participant relationships at 6 months postpartum. However, open-ended feedback from Standard FS participants indicates that some lesson content may not be applicable to all participants. At six months, retention was 82.3% for PFS and 66.7% for Standard FS, and adherence was 30.1% for PFS and 20.6% for Standard FS. Conclusions: Preliminary findings indicate that precision home visiting may be acceptable and feasible, yet more research is needed to understand its impact as an implementation strategy. (author abstract)

Finished

• Participant, Family, and Program Outcomes
• Program Enhancements, Innovations, and Promising Approaches
• Participant Recruitment, Retention, Engagement, and Dosage