Primary Care Interventions for Early Childhood Development: A Systematic Review

Author Department

Pediatrics

Document Type

Article, Peer-reviewed

Publication Date

12-2017

Abstract

CONTEXT:

The pediatric primary care setting offers a platform to promote positive parenting behaviors and the optimal development of young children. Many new interventions have been developed and tested in this setting over the past 2 decades.

OBJECTIVE:

To summarize the recent published evidence regarding the impact of primary care-based interventions on parenting behaviors and child development outcomes; to provide recommendations for incorporation of effective interventions into pediatric clinics.

DATA SOURCES:

A literature search of PubMed and PsycINFO was conducted from January 1, 1999, to February 14, 2017.

STUDY SELECTION:

Publications in which primary care-based interventions and reported outcomes regarding the child's development or parenting behaviors associated with the promotion of optimal child development are described.

DATA EXTRACTION:

Forty-eight studies in which 24 interventions were described were included. Levels of evidence and specific outcome measures are reported.

RESULTS:

Included interventions were categorized as general developmental support, general behavioral development, or topic-specific interventions. Two interventions resulted in reductions in developmental delay, 4 improved cognitive development scores, and 6 resulted in improved behavioral intensity or reduction in behavioral problems. Interventions used a variety of theory-based behavior change strategies such as modeling, group discussion, role play, homework assignment, coaching, and video-recorded interactions. Three interventions report the cost of the intervention.

LIMITATIONS:

Community or home-based interventions were excluded.

CONCLUSIONS:

Although several interventions resulted in improved child development outcomes for children aged 0 to 3 years, comparison across studies and interventions is limited by use of different outcome measures, time of evaluation, and variability of results.

PMID

29138363

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