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Interventions to Prevent Child Maltreatment: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement
, Susan J Curry1, Alex H Krist2,3
1University of Iowa, Iowa City.
Insights
Evidence is insufficient to determine the benefits and harms of primary care interventions for preventing child maltreatment. Further research is needed to assess these interventions for child abuse and neglect prevention.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Preventive Medicine
Background:
- Child maltreatment remains a significant public health issue in the United States, with hundreds of thousands of children experiencing abuse and neglect annually.
- Neglect is the most prevalent form of child maltreatment, followed by physical and sexual abuse.
- A substantial number of child maltreatment cases involve multiple forms of abuse and tragically result in fatalities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To update the 2013 US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation regarding primary care interventions for child maltreatment prevention.
- To evaluate evidence on interventions for children without existing signs or symptoms of maltreatment.
Main Methods:
- The USPSTF commissioned a systematic evidence review.
- The review focused on primary care interventions aimed at preventing child maltreatment in asymptomatic children and adolescents.
Main Results:
- Limited and inconsistent evidence exists regarding the benefits of primary care interventions, such as home visitation programs, in preventing child maltreatment.
- No evidence was found concerning the potential harms associated with these interventions.
- The certainty of the magnitude of both benefits and harms is low.
Conclusions:
- The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of primary care interventions for preventing child maltreatment.
- An "I" statement signifies insufficient evidence to make a recommendation.
Importance:
In 2016, approximately 676 000 children in the United States experienced maltreatment (abuse, neglect, or both), with 75% of these children experiencing neglect, 18% experiencing physical abuse, and 8% experiencing sexual abuse. Approximately 14% of abused children experienced multiple forms of maltreatment, and more than 1700 children died as a result of maltreatment.
Objective:
To update the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) 2013 recommendation on primary care interventions to prevent child maltreatment.
Evidence Review:
The USPSTF commissioned a review of the evidence on primary care interventions to prevent maltreatment in children and adolescents without signs or symptoms of maltreatment.
Findings:
The USPSTF found limited and inconsistent evidence on the benefits of primary care interventions, including home visitation programs, to prevent child maltreatment and found no evidence related to the harms of such interventions. The USPSTF concludes that the evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of primary care interventions to prevent child maltreatment. The level of certainty of the magnitude of the benefits and harms of these interventions is low.
Conclusions And Recommendation:
The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of primary care interventions to prevent child maltreatment. (I statement).
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