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The evaluation of the Preparing For Life early childhood Intervention programme

A randomised trial to determine the effectiveness of the Preparing For Life programme which aims to improve the school readiness skills of socioeconomically disadvantaged children in Dublin, Ireland

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ISRCTN
Registry ID
ISRCTN04631728
Enrollment
300
Registered
2013-06-20
Start date
2008-07-31
Completion date
Unknown
Last updated
2024-05-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

School readiness Not Applicable

Interventions

Current interventions as of 12/12/2023: On recruitment during pregnancy, participants were randomly assigned to either a low-treatment group or a high-treatment group. High and low-treatment groups re

Sponsors

University College Dublin (Ireland)
Lead Sponsor

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
Female

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Women (age 16+ years) pregnant between 2008 and 2010 2. Residing in the PFL catchment area 3. Willing to be assigned to either of the study intervention groups

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Potential participants were excluded if they did not meet inclusion criteria

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frame
Current primary outcome measures as of 12/12/2023: School Readiness Skills 1. Cognitive development: measured using Ages and Stages Questionnaire (at 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48 months); Developmental Profile 3 (at 12, 18, 24, 36, 48); British Ability Scales (at 48 months); Executive functioning & delay of gratification (48 months) 2. Physical health and motor skills: measured using Ages and Stages Questionnaire (at 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48 months); hospital records (at 48 months); parent-reported child health (at 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48 months) 3. Socio-emotional development: measured using Temperament and Atypical Behaviour Scale (at 12 months); Difficult temperament (at 6 & 12 months); ASQ-Socio-Emotional scale (at 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48 months); Brief Infant Toddler 4. Social and Emotional Assessment (at 12, 18 24, 36 months) 4. Behavioural skills: measured using Temperament and Atypical Behaviour Scale (at 12 months); Child Behaviour Checklist (at 18, 36, 48 months); Peer Problems and Prosocial Behaviour (at 48 months) 5. Language development and emergent literacy: measured using Mac-Arthur Bates Communicative Development Inventories (at 12, 18, 24 months); Ages and Stages Questionnaire (at 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48 months); British Ability Scales (at 48 months) Age 9 follow-up study, Child Health and Development Outcomes (~age 9) 1. Cognitive development measured using British Ability Scales; Executive functions NIH Toolbox measures: Flanker task, dimensional change card sort task, & list sorting task 2. Physical health and motor skills: parent-reported child health, measured height & weight, Harvard step-test 3. Socio-emotional development measured using parent-report Brief Problems Monitor, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and child self-report of problem behaviours using Social Skills Improvement System 5. School attendance and performance measured using standardised test score data from primary schools (SIGMA/MICRA-T or Drumcondra tests), school attendance reco

Secondary

MeasureTime frame
1. Birth outcomes: maternity hospital records at birth (birth weight, gestational age, prematurity, Apgar score) 2. Labour outcomes: maternity hospital records at birth (instrumental delivery, caesarean section- elective, emergency 3. Parenting skills: Adult Adolescence Parenting Inventory (at baseline &12 months); Knowledge of Infant Development (at baseline & 12 months); Parental locus of control (at 6 months); Condon Maternal Attachment Scale (at 6 & 24 months); Parenting Stress Index (at 6, 24 & 48 months); Parenting Daily Hassles Scale (at 18, 36 & 48 months).; Maternal Separation Anxiety (at 18 months); Parental Cognitions and Conduct Towards Infant Scale (at 6 & 24 months); Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (at 36 & 48 months); Parental Acceptance -Rejection Questionnaire (at 36 months) 4. Quality of the home environment: Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment scale (at 6, 18 & 36 months); Activities with child (at 6, 18, 36 months); Home Learning Environment (at 48 months); Material Deprivation scale (at 18 months); Framingham Safety Survey (at 6, 18, & 48 months); Family Environment Scale (at 12 &36 months); Difficult Life Circumstances (18 & 36 months); Neighbourhood Quality Evaluation Scale (at 36 months); Family Routine Inventory (at 36 months) 5. Parent health: physical health outcomes (self-reported) (at baseline, 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48 months); personality (Tem-Item Personality Inventory (baseline), Rosenberg self-esteem (at baseline12, 18, 48 months) Pearlin Self-Efficacy Scale (at baseline,12 & 48 months) ; Vulnerable Attachment Style Questionnaire (baseline); Considerations of Future Consequences (at baseline & 24 months); Future Outlook Inventory (at 12, 36 months); Self-control (at 18 months); mental health outcomes (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale at 6, 18, 24, 36, & 48); WHO-5 Index (at baseline, 6, 12, 36, 48) 6. Social support and service use: Level from support from various people (at 6, 18, 24, 36, & 48 month

Countries

Ireland

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Mar 20, 2026