Early prevention program improves child mental health and language

Findings from the Children's Health Policy Centre's (CHPC) scientific evaluation of the program Nurse-Family Partnership have shown that it improved maternal-reported child language and mental health at age two years. Results from the long-term randomized-controlled trial-known as the BC Healthy Connections Project (BCHCP )-were published today in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. CHPC at Simon Fraser University (SFU) led the trial , in collaboration with McMaster University and other organizations. -We are thrilled to have these significant positive findings,- said Nicole Catherine, co-principal investigator for the BCHCP, and assistant professor at SFU-s Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS). -We have shown that intervening very early in a child's life-during pregnancy-can have enduring benefits. Nurse-Family Partnership aims to improve the lives of children born to young, first-time mothers. Developed nearly 45 years ago by researcher David Olds and colleagues in the United States, the program starts early-in pregnancy, before children are even born.