ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses the experiences with the problems in the hope that evaluators of other family programs can profit from them and difficulties in planning the evaluation. Many of the problems with specifying the class of families likely to benefit and the probable outcomes of family support programs stem from failure to ground the investigation in a theoretical framework. The chapter suggests that the influence of the program on children, in general, would be mediated by improvements in maternal health habits and caregiving. The Prenatal/Early Infancy Project (PEIP), began in 1977 with a 6-year grant from the Bureau of Community Health Services, including an initial year to plan the program and research activities. Only a few investigations in the study of family support programs that have an emphasis on child health have employed random assignment. As a result, individuals often either overstate the meaning of a particular positive finding or downplay the significance of a negative side effect.