A program evaluation of postpartum/newborn home visitation services in aiken county, South Carolina.

OBJECTIVE

Home visiting programs for very young children seek to promote their health and development. We conducted a process and outcome evaluation of the Postpartum/Newborn Home Visit (PPNBHV) service in 1 county.

DESIGN

A retrospective study of Aiken County Health records of live infant births in 2004 was conducted.

SAMPLE

A random sample of 176 infants who were born in 2004 and enrolled in the women, infants, and children's (WIC) program in the same year was selected.

MEASURES

Process measures include timeliness of the home visit, and appropriateness of revisits. Outcome measures include age at WIC enrollment and immunization status at 6/9 months.

RESULTS

Of the 176 infants, 76 (43%) received a home visit. Of these, 13 (17%) received the visit within the stipulated time frame. After controlling for potential confounders, infants who received a home visit were 4 times (95% CI 1.92-8.36) as likely to enroll early in the WIC program compared with those who did not.

CONCLUSION

The PPNBHV service may contribute to early enrollment in the WIC program. Improvement in the timeliness of the visits is needed. Program monitoring and evaluation are necessary to ensure adherence, measure outcomes, and provide feedback for continuous quality improvement.