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Child health services in transition: I. Theories, methods and launching
Author(s) -
SUNDELIN C.,
MAGNUSSON M.,
LAGERBERG D.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
acta paediatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2005.tb03076.x
Subject(s) - medicine , transition (genetics) , child health , medline , family medicine , pediatrics , biochemistry , chemistry , political science , law , gene
Aim : To describe an evidence‐based model for preventive child health care and present some findings from baseline measurements. Methods : The model includes: parent education; methods for interaction and language training; follow‐up of low birthweight children; identification and treatment of postnatal depression, interaction difficulties, motor problems, parenthood stress, and psychosocial problems. After baseline measurements at 18 mo (cohort I), the intervention was tested on children from 0 to 18 mo at 18 child health centres in Uppsala County (cohort II). Eighteen centres in other counties served as controls. Two centres from a privileged area were included in the baseline measurements as a “contrasting” sample. Data are derived from health records and questionnaires to nurses and mothers. Results : Baseline experiment ( n = 457) and control mothers ( n = 510) were largely comparable in a number of respects. Experiment parents were of higher educational and occupational status, and were more frequently of non‐Nordic ethnicity. Mothers in the privileged area ( n = 72) differed from other mothers in several respects. Experiment nurses devoted considerably fewer hours per week to child health services and to child patients than did control nurses. Conclusions : Despite certain differences, experiment and control samples appeared comparable enough to permit, in a second step, conclusions about the effectiveness of the intervention.