Psychiatric Disorder
Conditions
Keywords
Health Promotion, Prevention, Mental health, Quality of life, Pediatrics, Wellness, Preventive Medicine, Preventive Psychiatry, Patient Participation, Health Literacy, Patient Activation, Patient Engagement, Emotional Health, Behavioral Health
Brief summary
This pilot randomized controlled trial of the Vermont Family Based Approach (VFBA) tested the feasibility of the VFBA in primary care pediatrics and its effects on children's and parents' emotional and behavioral problems and health-related quality of life. The VFBA is a public health framework for evidence-based health promotion, prevention, and treatment that is delivered from the family perspective and emphasizes emotional and behavioral health. The VFBA group received the VFBA intervention, while the Control group received pediatric primary care as usual.
Detailed description
To enhance the health of our communities, we need approaches to healthcare delivery that focus on the entire family, recognize the central role of emotional and behavioral health in relation to all health, use evidence-based health promotion in addition to evidence based treatment of existing problems, and intervene early in children's life. The VFBA is a public health framework for evidence-based health promotion, prevention, and treatment that is delivered from the family perspective and emphasizes emotional and behavioral health. The study was a pilot RCT of the VFBA in a primary care pediatrics clinic. The goals of the study were to test whether the VFBA would (1) be feasible in primary care pediatrics and (2) would lead to improved emotional and behavioral health and health-related quality of life or children and parents. Families were recruited at the pediatric clinic and randomized to the VFBA or Control conditions. The VFBA group received family-based assessment of emotional and behavioral health and family functioning, family wellness coaching, and a menu of cost-free wellness activities, such as parent and child violin instruction, yoga and mindfulness training, and nutrition counseling. Where indicated by results of family-based assessment, families in the VFBA group also received family-based, evidence-based psychotherapy and psychiatric care. Families in the Control group received pediatric primary care, as usual.
Interventions
OTHERVermont Family Based Approach
Comprehensive and individualized program to promote emotional health and wellbeing in families using evidence-based health promotion, prevention and intervention.
OTHERTreatment as Usual
Pediatric care as usual.
Sponsors
University of Vermont Medical Center
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
3 Years to 15 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Families with a 3 - 15 year-old child who receives his/her primary care at the University of Vermont Pediatric Primary Care Clinic
Exclusion criteria
* Families with a target child in the legal custody of the State of Vermont * Families where the parents' proficiency in English is not sufficient to participate in the protocol without an interpreter
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Feasibility Index 1 | during study enrollment | descriptive statistics for the number of family visits with FWCs |
| Feasibility Index 2 | during study enrollment | descriptive statistics for the number of family visits with FFCs |
| Feasibility Index 3 | during study enrollment | number of health and wellness supports and services the family engaged with |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Children's Emotional and Behavioral Problems | Baseline, 12 month assessment (final assessment) | The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) Total Problems Score (Range: 0-224; higher scores indicate more emotional and behavioral problems) |
| Health Related Quality of Life of Caregivers | Baseline, 12 month assessment (final assessment) | The MOS 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (MOS-36) General Health Scale (Range: 0-100; higher scores indicate higher health-related quality of life) |
| Children's Health Related Quality of Life | Baseline, 12 month assessment (final assessment) | The Child Health Questionnaire for Parents - Short Form (CHQ-SF) General Health Perceptions (Range: 0-100; higher scores indicate greater health-related quality of life) |
| Parents' Emotional and Behavioral Problems | Baseline, 12 month assessment (final assessment) | The Adult Self-Report (ASR) Total Problems Score (Range: 0-224; higher scores indicate higher levels of emotional and behavioral problems) |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed