Parenting Interventions for the Prevention of Unintentional Injuries in Childhood

Summary

A Cochrane review [Abstract] 1 included 22 studies (of which 16 were RCTs). Seventeen studies provided interventions comprising parenting education and other support services, 15 of which were home visiting programmes and 2 of which were paediatric practice-based interventions. Two provided solely educational interventions. Nineteen studies recruited families who were from socio-economically disadvantaged populations who were at risk of adverse child outcomes or people who may benefit from extra support, such as single mothers, teenage mothers, first-time mothers, and mothers with learning difficulties. Ten RCTs were included in the meta-analysis, which indicated that intervention families had a statistically significant lower risk of injury than control families (table T1). Several studies found statistically significantly fewer home hazards or a greater number of safety practices in intervention families. Of ten studies reporting scores on the HOME (Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment) scale, data from 3 RCTs were included in a meta-analysis, which found no evidence of a difference in quality of the home environment between treatment arms (MD 0.57, 95% CI -0.59 to 1.72). Most of the studies reporting home safety practices, home hazards, or composite home safety scores found statistically significant effects favouring intervention arm families.