Doula Home Visiting Randomized Trial

NCT ID: NCT01947244

Last Updated: 2020-11-06

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

312 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2011-11-30

Study Completion Date

2019-10-31

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

The purpose of this randomized controlled trial is to examine whether evidence-based home visiting programs enhanced by doula services have effects on positive parenting practices, breastfeeding, and child and maternal health outcomes.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

The goal of this study is to evaluate the impact of doula enhanced evidence-based home visiting programs for young mothers in Illinois. Mothers in the intervention group receive home visits from doulas during pregnancy and in the first few weeks postpartum, and doulas provide mothers with support at the hospital during labor, delivery, and with early breastfeeding. Additionally, mothers in the intervention group receive prenatal and long-term postpartum home visitation services through an evidence-based home visiting program, such as Parents as Teachers and Healthy Families Illinois. Mothers in the comparison group receive a less intensive case management service.

Four existing doula home visiting programs located in economically distressed communities in Illinois were selected for participation in the study. At each site, young pregnant women are recruited for participation in the study, provide informed consent, and complete a baseline interview in their homes during mid-pregnancy. At completion of the baseline interview, mothers are randomly assigned to either the doula home visiting intervention group or the case management comparison group.

At 37 weeks of pregnancy, and at 3 weeks-, 3 months-, 13 months-, and 30 months, and 4 years postpartum, mothers are interviewed in their homes on topics including pregnancy, parenting, health, mental health, feeding practices, employment/education, and relationships. Additionally, at all postpartum visits, mothers are videorecorded interacting with their infants. At the 13 month, 30 month, and 4 year followup sessions, children of the study participants are administered developmental and behavioral assessments.

Based on prior studies of doula services and the goals of doula enhanced home visiting programs, a variety of outcomes are assessed at followup time points. These outcomes include prenatal medical care, prenatal bonding with infant, feelings of efficacy during labor, anesthesia use during labor, breastfeeding, positive parenting behaviors, parenting attitudes and stress, infant health, maternal health, maternal depressive symptoms, and child behavior and development.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Breast Feeding Parenting Child Development Depression, Postpartum

Keywords

Explore important study keywords that can help with search, categorization, and topic discovery.

Doulas Parenting Breast Feeding Pregnancy in Adolescence Child Development

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

PREVENTION

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Doula Home Visiting

Participants assigned to the intervention group receive prenatal and short-term postpartum home visitation from doulas, and support from doulas at the hospital during labor, delivery, and with early breastfeeding. Additionally, these participants receive longer-term home visiting services from family support workers during pregnancy and after the birth.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Doula Home Visiting

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

The intervention is a doula enhancement to evidence-based home visiting services. Doulas provide home visits during pregnancy and for the first six weeks postpartum, which focus on prenatal health, preparation for childbirth, bonding with the baby, and breastfeeding education. Family support workers provide longer term home visiting services. These home visits focus on sensitive and responsive parenting, early infant care, bonding with the baby, child health and development, and maternal mental health.

Case Management

Mothers in the comparison group receive low intensity case management services during pregnancy and following the birth.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Case management

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Mothers are offered two prenatal and two postpartum case management meetings to assess whether mothers' basic needs (housing, nutrition, health care, mental health) are being met and make appropriate referrals.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Doula Home Visiting

The intervention is a doula enhancement to evidence-based home visiting services. Doulas provide home visits during pregnancy and for the first six weeks postpartum, which focus on prenatal health, preparation for childbirth, bonding with the baby, and breastfeeding education. Family support workers provide longer term home visiting services. These home visits focus on sensitive and responsive parenting, early infant care, bonding with the baby, child health and development, and maternal mental health.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Case management

Mothers are offered two prenatal and two postpartum case management meetings to assess whether mothers' basic needs (housing, nutrition, health care, mental health) are being met and make appropriate referrals.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* pregnant and between 12 and 34 weeks gestation
* live within the catchment area of a program site
* between ages of 14-24
* English or Spanish speaking

Exclusion Criteria

* ward of the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS)
* under supervision of juvenile justice system
* planning to give up custody of infant
* pregnancy result of sexual assault
Minimum Eligible Age

14 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

24 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

FED

Sponsor Role collaborator

Illinois Department of Human Services

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Chicago

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Sydney L Hans, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

The University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Hans SL, Edwards RC, Zhang Y. Randomized Controlled Trial of Doula-Home-Visiting Services: Impact on Maternal and Infant Health. Matern Child Health J. 2018 Oct;22(Suppl 1):105-113. doi: 10.1007/s10995-018-2537-7.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29855838 (View on PubMed)

Hans SL, Edwards RC, Zhang Y. Correction to: Randomized Controlled Trial of Doula-Home-Visiting Services: Impact on Maternal and Infant Health. Matern Child Health J. 2018 Oct;22(Suppl 1):125. doi: 10.1007/s10995-018-2626-7.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30128724 (View on PubMed)

Edwards RC, Vieyra Y, Hans SL. Maternal support for infant learning: Findings from a randomized controlled trial of doula home visiting services for young mothers. Early Childhood Research Quarterly. 2020; 51: 26-38.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

D89MC23146

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id