A nationwide test: do home visits build healthier families?
NCT ID NCT02069782
First seen Aug 12, 2026 · Last updated Aug 13, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study asks whether home visiting programs—where trained visitors support new and expectant mothers with education, guidance, and community referrals—can improve outcomes for children and families. Thousands of families are randomly assigned to receive home visits or to a comparison group with referrals to other services. The study tracks child health, development, parenting behavior, and maternal well-being to see if these programs make a measurable difference.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Home visiting program (support, education, and referrals to community services)
- What this could lead to
- If effective, home visiting programs could become a proven way to improve child development, parenting, and maternal health on a national scale.
- What could go wrong
- This is an evaluation of existing programs, not a new treatment. Results depend on how well programs are implemented and may vary across sites and families.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
-
4,232 people
The number who actually took part.
- Start date
-
Oct 2012
- Expected to finish
-
Sep 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
15 years and older
- Sex
-
Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Eligible for home visiting program selected to be in the study * At least 15 years old * Pregnant or have a child under 28 weeks old Exclusion Criteria: * women already enrolled in home visiting (for example, with an older child) * children in foster care in sites using EHS program model * homeless families in sites using EHS program model * women who speak neither English or Spanish
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Infant development are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
MDRC
New York, New York, 10016, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- How much lidocaine reaches a newborn during an urgent C-Section?
- Could pregnant patients skip clinic visits and monitor their baby from home?
- Can a Play-Based coaching program help preterm babies thrive at home?
- Can a video session get pregnant women to seek more health care?
- Citrulline: a potential key to prolonging pregnancy in pre-eclampsia?
- Can virtual reality coach pregnant women toward healthier habits?