Inventory of Evidence-Based Practices (EBPs) for Healthy Start Programs
Evidence-based practices include actions, activities, strategies, or approaches that improve the health of women, before, during, and after pregnancy in order to improve birth outcomes and give infants up to age two years a healthy start. Also included in the collection are informational materials and tools that make it easier to implement evidence-based practices. To search by title, use the main search box located at the top of this page.
This toolkit is a practical, hands-on resource designed to promote culturally effective services for children and families. It consists of nine brief “chapters” addressing health literacy and cultural differences in areas such as health beliefs and practices, infant care and feeding, the role of women, and child behavior and discipline. Each of the brief narratives is accompanied by a list of resources, including links to supplemental reading, patient education materials in multiple languages, checklists, assessments, and more.
Topics:
Health Literacy Nutrition Parenting Education Safe Sleep Socio-emotional Development for Children
Approaches:
Promote Quality
Benchmarks:
Safe Sleep Well Child Visits
Evidence Rating:
III. Expert guidelines—Protocols, standards of practice, or recommendations based on expert consensus.
Moms2B provides weekly education and support sessions for expectant mothers to promote healthy lifestyle choices and link women with support services. Topics covered include: breastfeeding, child development, family planning, goal setting, prenatal labor and delivery, maternal-infant health, positive parenting, reproductive health, and safe sleep. Moms2B is provided free of charge, with transportation assistance, on-site childcare and a hot, healthy meal. Ohio State University and community social service organizations support Moms2B participants with ongoing access to healthcare providers, lactation counselors, social workers, parenting educators and community health workers. The Moms2B program is based on an evidence-based pilot curriculum shown to increase breastfeeding and improve infant health.
Topics:
Breastfeeding Nutrition Parenting Education Prenatal Care and Education Reproductive Life Planning/Family Planning Safe Sleep
Approaches:
Improve Women's Health Promote Quality
Benchmarks:
Initiating Breastfeeding Reproductive Life Plan Safe Sleep
Evidence Rating:
II. Promising practices—Innovative practices employed in the field, based on state-of-science knowledge about what works to improve outcomes, and gathering evidence of effectiveness.
Annual well-woman visits provide an excellent opportunity for health maintenance and preventive care, including preconception and interconception counseling. Under the Affordable Care Act of 2010, Medicaid and most private insurance plans cover these visits without copay. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released these guidelines on recommended components of the annual visit based on previous evidence-based guidelines, current expert opinion, and the recommendations of a multidisciplinary task force. Recommendations on screening, laboratory tests, evaluation and counseling, and immunizations are organized into the age ranges 13-18, 19-45, 46-64, and >64.
Topics:
Alcohol/Drug Services Chronic Disease Depression Healthy Weight Immunization Intimate Partner Violence Nutrition Reproductive Life Planning/Family Planning Risk Assessment STDs including HIV Tobacco Cessation
Approaches:
Improve Women's Health
Benchmarks:
Well Woman Visits
Evidence Rating:
III. Expert guidelines—Protocols, standards of practice, or recommendations based on expert consensus.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides Federal grants to States for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk.
Topics:
Breastfeeding Nutrition
Approaches:
Improve Women's Health Promote Quality
Benchmarks:
Initiating Breastfeeding Sustaining Breastfeeding Well Child Visits Well Woman Visits
Evidence Rating:
III. Expert guidelines—Protocols, standards of practice, or recommendations based on expert consensus.
The USDA’s recommendations for nutrition for breastfeeding mothers. Includes a customizable daily food plan for breastfeeding mothers, which keeps track of the baby’s weight and needs.
Topics:
Breastfeeding Nutrition
Approaches:
Promote Quality
Benchmarks:
Initiating Breastfeeding Sustaining Breastfeeding
Evidence Rating:
III. Expert guidelines—Protocols, standards of practice, or recommendations based on expert consensus.
Text4baby is a free mobile information service designed to promote maternal and child health through text messaging. Lasts through pregnancy until baby’s first birthday. The messages address topics such as prenatal care, labor signs and symptoms, urgent alerts, breastfeeding, nutrition, exercise, oral health, immunizations, birth defect prevention, developmental milestones, safe sleep, family violence, injury prevention, mental health, substance abuse, car seat safety, and more.
Topics:
Alcohol/Drug Services Breastfeeding Depression Intimate Partner Violence Nutrition Parenting Education Safe Sleep
Approaches:
Promote Quality Strengthen Family Resilience
Benchmarks:
Initiating Breastfeeding Intimate Partner Violence Perinatal Depression Follow Up Safe Sleep Sustaining Breastfeeding
Evidence Rating:
I. Evidence-based practices—have been rigorously evaluated and shown to be effective by MCH experts.
Health behavior intervention that aims to improve women’s preconception and interconception health. Developed for low-income rural communities in Central Pennsylvania. Enrolls non-pregnant women capable of becoming pregnant in the future. Provides education about health-related factors associated with poor pregnancy outcomes; facilitates increased physical activity and improved nutrition; and encourages self-efficacy for personal healthcare. Enrollees attend six 2 hour group sessions over 12 weeks. Intervention was found to have improved attitudes and behaviors related to nutrition, folic acid supplementation, physical activity, and stress management, increased internal control of birth outcomes, lowered weight and BMI, and lowered pregnancy weight gain.
Topics:
Healthy Weight Nutrition
Approaches:
Improve Women's Health
Benchmarks:
Reproductive Life Plan Well Woman Visits
Evidence Rating:
II. Promising practices—Innovative practices employed in the field, based on state-of-science knowledge about what works to improve outcomes, and gathering evidence of effectiveness.