Federal Evaluation of Selected Programs for Expectant and Parenting Youth (PEPY)

Mathematica Policy Research

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Contraceptive Usage; Teen Pregnancy Prevention

Treatments: Behavioral: Healthy Families, Healthy Futures

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT03419728

50023

Details and patient eligibility

About

Under contract to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Mathematica Policy Research is conducting an impact study of Healthy Families Healthy Futures in Houston, Texas for a Federal Evaluation of Programs for Expectant and Parenting Youth (PEPY). The impact study will be designed to address three main questions:

• Was the program successful in exposing participants to program content, such as information about methods of birth control?
• Was the program successful at improving short-term outcomes, such as use of a LARC and intention to space births?
• To what extent did treatment youth receive the intended program components?

Full description

A random assignment design will be used to assess the program's impact on exposure to program content and short term outcomes. Potential study participants were recruited between June 2015 and October 2016, and were considered eligible for participation if they were first time mothers between the ages of 14 and 19, English or Spanish speakers, had not enrolled in the program in the previous six mounts, and were not enrolled in the Nurse Family Partnership program. Potential participants who were eligible and who consented to participate were randomly assigned to (1) a treatment group that was eligible for Healthy Families Healthy Futures (HFHF) services or (2) a control group that was not eligible for HFHF. Random assignment was conducted within two blocks determined by whether study participants were pregnant at the time of random assignment or were parenting at the time of random assignment. The study draws on data from HFHF administrative records on service receipt, a baseline survey administered prior to random assignment, and a follow-up survey administered approximately 12 months after random assignment.

Enrollment: 248 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 14 to 19 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Must be expectant or parenting

Exclusion criteria

• Participated in HFHF in six months prior to random assignment
• Enrolled in Nurse Family Partnership program at time of random assignment
• Oldest child is older than 3 months at random assignment
• Primary language is neither English nor Spanish

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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248 participants in 2 patient groups

Healthy Families, Healthy Futures

Experimental group

Description:

Family coaches meet with participating pregnant and parenting females, the woman's partner, and the child. Visit frequency varies from once per week to once per month, depending on the length of time in the program, the client's needs, and the accomplishment of program milestones. In the short term, the program seeks to increase the use of Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC), enhance family functioning including improving father involvement, and to meet the baby's child development needs. In the long term, the program aims to delay subsequent pregnancies, ensure positive child development, and increase parents' self-sufficiency.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Healthy Families, Healthy Futures

Control group

No Intervention group

Description:

No active treatment for control group. Control group has access to "business as usual" services in community.