An Evaluation of CenteringParenting: A Group Well-Child Care Model in an Urban Federally Qualified Community Health Center

Abstract

Objectives:

For CenteringParenting—an integrated, group participatory approach to maternal and child health—this study aimed to explore maternal participants' experiences and children's clinical metrics compared with those receiving traditional well-care visits in the same community health center.

Design:

A mixed-methods approach evaluated the impact of the CenteringParenting program on infant outcomes and maternal and staff experiences.

Settings/Location:

This study was conducted at Neighborhood Family Practice (NFP), an urban federally qualified community health center on the west side of Cleveland, Ohio. NFP is an accredited Centering Health care Institute site for both CenteringPregnancy and CenteringParenting.

Subjects:

Consecutive participants from the CenteringParenting program at NFP were included with age-matched controls.

Outcome measures:

Quantitative outcome measures included the number of well-child visits attended, immunization and lead screening rates, as well as breastfeeding initiation and duration. Semistructured interviews assessed maternal, provider, and program staff satisfaction with the program.

Results:

Children participating in CenteringParenting as compared with traditional individual care were demographically similar. Well-child care visits in the first 15 months of life were higher in the CenteringParenting Group (9.19 vs. 5.28, p < 0.001), which also exhibited a trend toward higher rates of completing noninfluenza immunizations. There was no difference in lead screening, with high percentages of completion in both groups. Interviews discovered strong maternal, clinician, and staff satisfaction with the program. Mothers noted the unique benefits of learning from and building relationships with each other.

Conclusions:

This study in a community health center indicates that innovative group care models, such as CenteringParenting, hold promise for delivering value-added elements of social interaction between parents and health care staff, in addition to increasing the number of visits attended by parents and children in the first 15 months of life. Future study is needed to further elucidate maternal, population health, and cost benefits.