Home visiting and child health surveillance attendance.

This project tested the hypothesis that low attendance rates at a Sure Start child health surveillance session might increase if appointments were preceded by intervention home visits from research assistants drawn from the local community. The assistants would explain the purpose of surveillance and discuss problems preventing attendance. A randomised control trial showed no increase in surveillance attendance after two-thirds of the intervention group were successfully visited. This negative finding was despite the partnership with local people acting as research assistants working well. Other factors that might have influenced attendance were investigated at an evaluation interview undertaken by community members in homes after the surveillance date. Only 55 per cent of the families could be contacted for evaluation. Six out of 10 of those who had no evaluation were the same families who had not attended the surveillance session. The reasons why these families missed surveillance sessions is yet to be identified. Further research is needed that explores the reason why some families do come for surveillance, the nature of the barriers to attendance in those who do not attend and to look for opportunities for fresh interventions that might give more children access to pre-school facilities.