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Published on: January 23, 2017
Risk status and home intervention among children with failure-to-thrive: follow-up at age 4
J J Hutcheson1, M M Black, M Talley
1University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore 21201, USA.
Insights
Home intervention for failure-to-thrive (FTT) children showed long-term benefits in motor development by age 4. Effects on cognition and behavior were strongest for children whose mothers had low negative affectivity.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Pediatric Health
- Intervention Studies
Background:
- Failure-to-thrive (FTT) is a serious condition in children requiring effective interventions.
- Home-based interventions are increasingly used to support child development and family well-being.
- Understanding moderating factors, like maternal affectivity, is crucial for optimizing intervention impact.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the long-term effects of a home intervention program for children with FTT.
- To investigate the moderating roles of demographic risk and maternal negative affectivity on intervention outcomes.
- To assess the impact of home visits on child development and behavior at follow-up.
Main Methods:
- A randomized clinical trial design was employed.
- Children with FTT received multidisciplinary clinic services, with half also receiving 1 year of home visits.
- Child outcomes were assessed at the end of the intervention and at age 4, with risk status (demographic, maternal negative affectivity) analyzed.
Main Results:
- No immediate effects of intervention or risk status were observed at the end of the home visits.
- At age 4, home intervention improved motor development in all children.
- Cognitive development and behavioral outcomes at age 4 were enhanced by home intervention specifically for children of mothers with low negative affectivity.
Conclusions:
- Follow-up assessments are essential for evaluating the true impact of home intervention services.
- Home intervention may be particularly beneficial for low-SES families with FTT children when mothers exhibit low negative affectivity.
- The findings underscore the importance of considering maternal psychological factors in tailoring early intervention strategies.
Abstract:
Examined the moderating effects of risk status on the impact of home intervention in a follow-up study of children with failure-to-thrive (FTT). Two types of risk (demographic and maternal negative affectivity) and two levels of intervention were examined. In this randomized clinical trial, all children received services in a multidisciplinary growth and nutrition clinic, and half the children also received home visits from a lay home visitor for 1 year. There were no effects of demographic risk, maternal negative affectivity, or intervention status on child outcome at the close of the home intervention. However, at age 4, more than 1 year after the home intervention ended, there were effects of the home intervention on motor development among all children and on cognitive development and behavior during play among children of mothers who reported low levels of negative affectivity. Results highlight the importance of conducting follow-up assessments in the evaluation of home intervention services, and suggest that among low-SES families of children with FTT, home intervention may be most useful among mothers with low negative affectivity.
