right@home: a randomised controlled trial measuring the benefit of nurse home visiting offered to Australian mothers who are experiencing adversity, from pregnancy to child age 2 years
right@home is a multi-state nurse home visiting (NHV) randomised controlled trial designed to promote family wellbeing and child development. 722 pregnant women experiencing adversity (≥2 of 10 social risk factors) were recruited between 30 April 2013 to 29 August 2014 from public maternity hospitals in the states of Victoria and Tasmania (Australia). Participants and their children were followed from pregnancy until children turn 6 years of age, including their first year of school.
The right@home NHV program is based on the Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-visiting program and incorporates additional modules to help parents care for and respond to their children, creating a supportive home learning environment. right@home aims to investigate the effectiveness of the NHV program in improving parent care of and responsivity to the child, and the home learning environment; and longer-term effects on child physical and mental health and language development and maternal parenting and mental health.
* A COVID-19 supplemental questionnaire was added to regular assessments from 7 May 2020. For participants who had already completed regular assessments prior to 7 May, the COVID-19 supplemental questionnaire was asked as a stand-alone assessment, with additional content as noted below.
| Study Summary | |
|---|---|
| Study name | right@home: a randomised controlled trial measuring the benefit of nurse home visiting offered to Australian mothers who are experiencing adversity, from pregnancy to child age 2 years, on (i) parenting and the home environment at 2 years and (ii) child physical and mental health, learning and language, and maternal parenting and health at 3-5 years |
| Study abbreviation | right@home |
| Current principal investigator/s | Prof Sharon Goldfeld Prof Lynn Kemp Dr Anna Price Dr Fiona Mensah A/Prof Lisa Gold Ms Penny Dakin |
| Current project manager | Dr Hannah Bryson |
| Primary Institution | Murdoch Children’s Research Institute |
| Collaborating Institution/s | Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth Western Sydney University |
| Major funding sources | National Health and Medical Research Council Victorian State Government Tasmanian State Government The Ian Potter Foundation Sabemo Trust Sidney Myer Fund Vincent Fairfax Family fund |
| Study website | http://www.rch.org.au/ccch/research-projects/right-at-home/ |
| Key reference for study (published study protocol) | Goldfeld, S., Price, A., Bryson, H., Bruce, T., Mensah, F., Orsini, F., Gold, L., Hiscock, H., Smith, C., Bishop, L., Jackson, D. and Kemp, L. (2017). ‘right@home’: a randomised controlled trial of sustained nurse home visiting from pregnancy to child age 2 years, versus usual care, to improve parent care, parent responsivity and the home learning environment at 2 years. BMJ Open, 7(3): e013307. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-013307
Trial registration at http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN89962120 |
| Are data available to others outside study team? | Yes, for student projects and collaborations. |
| Study focus (e.g. social development) | Promoting equity in children’s early learning and development. |
| Sampling frame | Participants were recruited from the public maternity hospitals servicing four local government areas (councils) in Victoria (Ballarat, Dandenong, Frankston, Whittlesea) and three regions in Tasmania (South, North, North West). Eligible participants were pregnant women attending the antenatal clinics from May 2013 to August 2014 that had expected due dates before 1 October 2014, were less than 37 weeks gestation, had two or more of 10 risk factors identified by risk factor screening, and had home addresses within the travel boundaries specified by the local councils/regions managing the intervention nurses. |
| Study type (e.g. randomised control trial, cohort, case-control) | Randomised control trial |
| Year commenced | 2013 |
| Ongoing recruitment? | No |
| Commencement sample (N) | 363 intervention and 359 controls at randomisation 5586 mothers screened and 736 enrolled |
| Intergenerational (e.g. offspring)? | Yes |
| Imaging (e.g. fMRI, ultrasound, retinal photograph)? | No |
| Linkage (e.g. BioGrid, VPDC, NAPLAN, Medicare)? | School Entrant Health Questionnaire Tasmanian Kindergarten Developmental Check NAPLAN Grade 3 Department of Human Services Centrelink contact information |
| Biosamples (e.g. buccal, blood, hair)? | Hair |
| Ethics approvals or requirements (e.g. specific, extended, unspecified, other)? | This project only (Specific consent) Future research related to this project (Extended consent) |
| Year | Age (mean, range) | Eligible sample (not deceased, not withdrawn) |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 – 2014 | mother’s age (antenatal period), 28 years, range 14-49 years | 363 intervention 359 control |
| 2013 – 2014 | child age, mean 8 weeks, range 6-21 weeks | 355 intervention 352 control |
| 2013 – 2015 | child age, mean 6 months, range 5-10 months | 352 intervention 346 control |
| 2014 – 2015 | child age, mean 12 months, range 11-17 months | 347 intervention 337 control |
| 2014 – 2016 | child age, mean 18 months, range 15-23 months | 342 intervention 329 control |
| 2015 – 2016 | child age, mean 24 months, range 22-32 months | 335 intervention 318 control |
| 2015 – 2017 | child age, mean 30 months, range 29-34 months | 281 intervention 261 control |
| 2016 – 2017 | child age, mean 36 months, range 35-40 months | 276 intervention 254 control |
| 2016 – 2018 | child age, mean 42 months, range 41-47 months | 272 intervention 251 control |
| 2017 – 2018 | child age, mean 49 months, range 47-56 months | 268 intervention 244 control |
| 2017 – 2019 | child age, mean 54 months, range 54-58 months | 266 intervention 238 control |
| 2018 – 2019 | child age, mean 5.1 years, range 4.9-5.5 years | 258 intervention 231 control |
| 2018 – 2020 | child age, mean 5.6 years, range 5.2-5.9 years | 213 intervention 188 control |
| 2019-2021 | Ongoing, child age 5 to 7 years (first year of school) | 211 intervention 185 control |
| 2019-2020 | child age, mean 6.1 years, range 5.9-6.4 years | 212 intervention 185 control |
| 2020 | child age, mean 6.5 years, range 6.0-7.2 years | 211 intervention 185 control |
Principal Investigator
Prof Sharon Goldfeld
Project Manager
Dr Hannah Bryson
Study Contact
Ph: +613 9345 6355
Email: right.home@rch.org.au
Postal Address
right@home, Centre for Community Child Health (CCCH)
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute
The Royal Children’s Hospital
50 Flemington Road
Parkville
VIC 3052