Grantee: Centering Healthcare Institute
Study Type: Quasi-Experiment (unmatched comparison group study)
Principal Investigators: Cynthia Dimovitz, Susan Butler, Karen Wang – Reading Hospital; Kathryn O’Rourke – Penn Medicine Lancaser General Health; Sinziana Cornea – University of Minnesota Medical Schools; Thomas E. Wasser – Complete Statistical Services
Project Description: This is a retrospective unmatched comparison group study of CenteringParenting, a group healthcare intervention for families and their children. Study participants included the 89 parents and infants who were recruited, successfully enrolled, and participated in the program between 2015 and 2019, and a comparison group of 279 similarly-aged infants who received traditional healthcare in the broader community. The study took place through the Children’s Health Center in West Reading, PA, a single-site pediatric practice. Researchers compared the groups on a range of self-reported outcomes and official health records through an 18-month follow-up period, including breastfeeding, well-visits, compliance with recommended vaccination schedules, and maternal depression.
Key Findings: CenteringParenting children are more likely to be up to date with their scheduled visits and vaccines than those receiving the traditional model of well-child care. Maternal depression screenings were more likely to be completed and documented and open discussions about maternal depression. Parents involved with group visits found it to be great care, liked being with other parents, learned a lot, and would recommend it to other parents.
Study Citation: Dimovitz, Cynthia, Butler, Susan, Wang, Karen, O’Rourke, Kathryn, Cornea, Sinziana & Thomas E. Wasser. Implementing Centering Parenting Model With an Urban Pediatric Population to Measure and Improve Clinical Outcomes and Parent Satisfaction (2022). Journal of Pediatric Health Care, in press. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedhc.2022.09.012
Full report here.
The Key Findings above were reproduced from the published report and do not necessarily reflect interpretation of Overdeck Family Foundation staff.