Engaging Low-Income Parents in Prevention Programs

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We request continued support for a NINR-funded study on the effectiveness of an innovative parent training program (The Chicago Parent Program; CPP) developed in collaboration with a parent advisory council and used in childcare centers serving low-income families of color. The current study has been affected by issues common in prevention trials: low enrollment and attendance rates and the inability to include Spanish- speaking Latino parents. Historically, scientists have addressed these challenges by excluding non-English- speaking Latinos and instituting costly and unrealistic subject incentives, strategies that hinder the growth of prevention science for people of color and its translation to health care policy. The primary goal of the proposed study is to build upon the current grant by testing the effectiveness of two strategies for increasing participation rates among Latinos and maximizing the effects of preventive parent training for low-income families of color using methods that can be generalized beyond the research context. Using a randomized experimental design (n=450), we will test the effectiveness of (1) a Spanish-language version of the CPP and (2) discounting parents' childcare co-pay costs contingent upon attendance. Eight day care centers will be matched and randomly assigned to control and experimental conditions: (1) a 12-week intervention condition in which barriers to attendance are reduced but no financial incentives for attendance are offered (Standard), (2) a discount co-pay incentive condition in which barriers to participation are reduced and parents receive a discount on their weekly childcare co-pay bill contingent upon attendance (Discount Co- pay), and (3) a no-intervention control condition. Participation will be defined by enrollment rate, attendance, and parent engagement in the intervention. CPP effectiveness will be examined using multiple parent and child outcomes assessed up to 1 year post-intervention. The cost-effectiveness of using a discount co-pay strategy compared to the standard condition will also be examined. Relevance: The goals of this study are to use a real world approach to increase participation rates in a prevention intervention designed to promote positive parenting and mental health among low-income ethnic minority families of 2-4 year old children. Data from this study would lead to improved outcomes for parents and children during the first 5 years of life.