Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to determine what effects pediatric primary care interventions, focused on promotion of positive parenting through reading aloud and play, have on the socioemotional development of toddlers from low-income, primarily immigrant households. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial included random assignment to 1 of 2 interventions (Video Interaction Project [VIP] or Building Blocks [BB]) or to a control group. Mother-newborn dyads were enrolled postpartum in an urban public hospital. In VIP, dyads met with an interventionist on days of well-child visits; the interventionist facilitated interactions in play and shared reading through provision of learning materials and review of videotaped parent-child interactions. In BB, parents were mailed parenting pamphlets and learning materials. This article analyzes socioemotional outcomes from 14 to 36 months for children in VIP and BB versus control. RESULTS: A total of 463 dyads (69%) contributed data. Children in VIP scored higher than control on imitation/play and attention, and lower on separation distress, hyperactivity, and externalizing problems, with effect sizes ∼0.25 SD for the sample as a whole and ∼0.50 SD for families with additional psychosocial risks . Children in BB made greater gains in imitation/play compared with control. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the efficacy of VIP, a preventive intervention targeting parent-child interactions, for enhancing socioemotional outcomes in low-income toddlers. Given the low cost and potential for scalability of primary care interventions, findings support expansion of pediatric-based parenting programs such as VIP for the primary prevention of socioemotional problems before school entry.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | e20153239 |
| Journal | Pediatrics |
| Volume | 137 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 2016 |
Funding
We are grateful to the many individuals who contributed to this project, including Melissa Acevedo, Jenny Arevalo, Nina Burtchen, Diego Catalan Molina, Laura Curiel Duran, Aida Custode, Hannah Goldman, Pamela Kim, Jennifer Ledesma, Jennifer Elizabeth Lee, Maya Matalon, Andrea Paloian, Caroline Raak, Daniela Romero, Casilda Suárez-Hesketh, Melissa Tunik, Jessica Urgelles, Kristina Vlahovicova, Linda Votruba, Caroline Wilkes, Lisa White, Margaret Wolff, and Brenda Woodford. We would especially like to thank the parents and children who participated. Supported by grants R01 HD047740 (Principal Investigator, Dr Mendelsohn) and R01 HD40388 (Principal Investigator, Dr Huberman) from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; the Tiger Foundation; the Marks Family Foundation; Children of Bellevue, Inc; KiDS of NYU Foundation, Inc; the Rhodebeck Charitable Trust; and the Academic Pediatric Association Young Investigator Award Program. Dr Weisleder was supported in part by a National Research Service Award from the Health Resources and Services Administration (T32 HD047740), with training supported in part by a New York University Clinical and Translational Science Award (UL1TR000038) from the National Institutes of Health National Center for the Advancement of Translational Science. Funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health