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Established Evidence Results

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Below are articles that support specific interventions to advance MCH National Performance Measures (NPMs) and Standardized Measures (SMs). Most interventions contain multiple components as part of a coordinated strategy/approach.

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Displaying records 1 through 14 (14 total).

Allen KP. A bullying intervention system in high school: A two-year school-wide follow-up. Studies in Educational Evaluation. 2010;36(3):83-92.

Evidence Rating: Emerging Evidence

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): YOUTH, Adult-led Support/Counseling/Remediation, PARENT/FAMILY, Presentation/Meeting/Information Session/Event, CLASSROOM, Adult-led Curricular Activities/Training, SCHOOL, Assembly, Reporting & Response System

Intervention Description: This study is an evaluation of a systemic, two-year, whole-school bullying intervention initiative that was implemented in a US public high school.

Intervention Results: Except for a reduction in victimization, all goals were achieved in some measure. Self-reported bullying decreased 50% or more. Students' reporting that peers intervened in bullying increased. Staff-reported reductions in student aggression, and staff's belief that the school's efforts to address bullying were adequate increased.

Conclusion: This evaluation points to the possible success of a whole-school, systemic approach to managing bullying at the high school level. (Contains 1 figure and 2 tables.)

Study Design: QE: pretest-posttest

Setting: US

Population of Focus: Not specified

Data Source: Not specified

Sample Size: Victimization: Pretest (n=874); Posttest (n=817) Perpetration: Pretest (n=870); Posttest (n=818)

Age Range: 14-18

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Bauer NS, Lozano P, Rivara FP. The effectiveness of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program in public middle schools: A controlled trial. J Adolesc Health. 2007;40(3):266-274.

Evidence Rating: Emerging Evidence

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): YOUTH, Adult-led Support/Counseling/Remediation, PARENT/FAMILY, Presentation/Meeting/Information Session/Event, Notification/Information Materials (Online Resources, Information Guide), CLASSROOM, Adult-led Curricular Activities/Training, Enforcement of School Rules, SCHOOL, Assembly, Reporting & Response System, Bullying Committee, Teacher/Staff Meeting, Teacher/Staff Training, School Rules, Identification and Monitoring of/Increased Supervision in Targeted Areas, POPULATION-BASED SYSTEMS, COMMUNITY, Media Campaign (Print Materials, Radio, TV)

Intervention Description: To examine the effectiveness of a widely disseminated bullying prevention program.

Intervention Results: Regression analyses controlling for baseline prevalence and school characteristics showed no overall effect on student victimization. However, when stratified by ethnicity/race, reports of relational and physical victimization decreased by 28% (RR = .72, 95% CI: .53-.98) and 37% (RR = .63, 95% CI: .42-.97), respectively, among white students relative to those in comparison schools. No similar effect was found for students of other races/ethnicities; there were no differences by gender or by grade. Students in intervention schools were more likely to perceive other students as actively intervening in bullying incidents, and 6th graders were more likely to feel sorry and want to help victims.

Conclusion: The program had some mixed positive effects varying by gender, ethnicity/race, and grade but no overall effect. Schools implementing the program, especially with a heterogeneous student body, should monitor outcomes and pay particular attention to the impact of culture, race and family influences on student behavior. Future studies of large-scale bullying prevention programs in the community must be rigorously evaluated to ensure they are effective.

Study Design: QE: pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group

Setting: US

Population of Focus: Not specified

Data Source: Not specified

Sample Size: Intervention (n=4959) Relational Victimization: Pretest (n=4607); Posttest (n=4480) Physical Victimization: Pretest (n=4531); Posttest (n=4419) Control (n=1559) Relational Victimization: Pretest (n=1408); Posttest (n=1456) Physical Victimization: Pretest (n=1373); Posttest (n=1448)

Age Range: NR

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Bowllan NM. Implementation and evaluation of a comprehensive, school‐wide bullying prevention program in an urban/suburban middle school. J Sch Health. 2011;81(4):167-173.

Evidence Rating: Emerging Evidence

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): YOUTH, Adult-led Support/Counseling/Remediation, PARENT/FAMILY, Notification/Information Materials (Online Resources, Information Guide), Presentation/Meeting/Information Session/Event, CLASSROOM, Enforcement of School Rules, SCHOOL, Bullying Committee, Assembly, Reporting & Response System, Teacher/Staff Meeting, Teacher/Staff Training, School Rules, Identification and Monitoring of/Increased Supervision in Targeted Areas, POPULATION-BASED SYSTEMS, COMMUNITY, Media Campaign (Print Materials, Radio, TV)

Intervention Description: This intervention study examined the prevalence of bullying in an urban/suburban middle school and the impact of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP).

Intervention Results: Statistically significant findings were found for 7th grade female students who received 1 year of the OBPP on reports of prevalence of bullying (p = .022) and exclusion by peers (p = .009). In contrast, variability in statistical findings was obtained for 8th grade females and no statistical findings were found for males. Following 1 year of the OBPP, teachers reported statistically significant improvements in their capacity to identify bullying (p = .016), talk to students who bully (p = .024), and talk with students who are bullied (p = .051). Other substantial percentile changes were also noted.

Conclusion: Findings suggest a significant positive impact of the OBPP on 7th grade females and teachers. Other grade and gender findings were inconsistent with previous literature. Recommendations for further research are provided along with implications for school health prevention programming.

Study Design: QE: time-lagged age-equivalent control group

Setting: US

Population of Focus: Not specified

Data Source: Not specified

Sample Size: Intervention (n=112); Control (n=158)

Age Range: NR

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Catanzano, M., Richardson, G., & Kroll, T. (2021). A stepped-care model of mental health service delivery for children and young people with long-term physical conditions: A pilot study. Evidence-Based Mental Health, 24(1), 25-32. doi: 10.1136/ebmental-2020-300197

Evidence Rating: Emerging

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): Psychoeducation, Referrals, Presentation/Meeting/Information Session/Event,

Intervention Description: The intervention was a transdiagnostic mental health center offering brief psychological assessment and treatment for children and young people and/or their families with mental health needs in the context of long-term physical conditions. The intervention included a suite of empirically grounded interventions, including single sessions, signposting or referral to appropriate services, a comprehensive diagnostic and/or supplementary neurodevelopmental assessment, and brief modular transdiagnostic psychological treatment delivered in the form of guided self-help.

Intervention Results: The results showed that the intervention was feasible and acceptable, with high levels of retention and satisfaction reported by participants. Changes in SDQ scores demonstrated statistical significance, but the effect size was small and does not equate to clinically significant change.

Conclusion: The conclusion from the study was that it is possible to deliver brief transdiagnostic psychological interventions to patients in a pediatric hospital who are experiencing mental health needs alongside long-term physical conditions, as part of a stepped-care pediatric psychology health service. The study provides evidence that such interventions could have an important role in reducing symptoms and improving quality of life.

Study Design: The study design/type was an uncontrolled trial.

Setting: The setting for the study was a national pediatric hospital.

Population of Focus: The target audience for the study was children and young people with mental health needs in the context of long-term physical conditions, as well as their families and caregivers.

Sample Size: The sample size was 186 consented participants.

Age Range: The age range of the participants was not specified in the article.

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Chaux E, Velásquez AM, Schultze‐Krumbholz A, Scheithauer H. Effects of the cyberbullying prevention program media heroes (medienhelden) on traditional bullying. Aggress Behav. 2016;42(2):157-165.

Evidence Rating: Moderate Evidence

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): PARENT/FAMILY, Presentation/Meeting/Information Session/Event, CLASSROOM, Adult-led Curricular Activities/Training

Intervention Description: The main goal of the current study was to analyze the spillover effects of the cyberbullying prevention program Media Heroes (Medienhelden) on traditional bullying.

Intervention Results: Media Heroes was found to reduce traditional bullying. Effects were larger for the long-version of the program than for the short 1-day version. No effects were found on victimization by either cyberbullying or traditional bullying.

Conclusion: Strategies to complement traditional and cyberbullying prevention efforts are discussed.

Study Design: Cluster RCT: pretest-posttest

Setting: Germany

Population of Focus: Not specified

Data Source: Not specified

Sample Size: Total (n=1075) Analysis sample (n=722) Long-Intervention (n=12 classes); Short-Intervention (n=7 classes); Control (n=16 classes) Cyberbullying (n=709); Traditional Bullying (n=709); Cybervictimization (n=714); Traditional Victimization (n=718)

Age Range: 11/17/2022

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Herbert RJ, Gagnon AJ, O’Loughlin JL, Rennick JE. Testing an empowerment intervention to help parents make homes smoke-free: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Community Health 2011;36(4):650–7.

Evidence Rating: Mixed Evidence

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): PATIENT/CONSUMER, Community-Based Group Education, Group Education, Telephone Support, Educational Material, CAREGIVER, Education/Training (caregiver), Educational Material (caregiver), PARENT/FAMILY, Presentation/Meeting/Information Session/Event, Notification/Information Materials (Online Resources, Information Guide)

Intervention Description: The objective of this trial was to test if parents’ participation in an intervention based on an empowerment ideology and participatory experiences decreased the number of cigarettes smoked in homes.

Intervention Results: The median number of cigarettes smoked in the home daily decreased from 18 to 4 in the total sample (both groups about equally), however no statistically significant difference was detected between groups at 6 months follow-up.

Conclusion: Participation in the study, independent of group, may have resulted in parents decreasing the number of cigarettes smoked in the home. Valuable lessons were learned about recruiting and working with this group of parents, all of whom faced the challenges of tobacco and almost half of whom lived in poverty

Study Design: RCT

Setting: Community (home)

Population of Focus: Families connected with public health nursing offices, family resource centers, daycare centers, and kindergartens in Prince Edward Island, with at least one cigarette smoked daily in the home, children up to 5 years of age residing there, and one parent (smoker or not) willing to participate

Data Source: Data were collected in two intervieweradministered questionnaires competed in participants’ homes at baseline and 6-months follow-up.

Sample Size: 60 families

Age Range: Not specified

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Hovell MF, Meltzer SB, Wahlgren DR, Matt GE, Hofstetter CR, Jones JA, et al. Asthma management and environmental tobacco smoke exposure reduction in Latino children: a controlled trial. Pediatrics 2002;110(5):946– 56.

Evidence Rating: Scientifically Rigorous Evidence

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): PARENT/FAMILY, Presentation/Meeting/Information Session/Event, Training (Parent/Family), CAREGIVER, Home Visit (caregiver), Education/Training (caregiver), Motivational Interviewing/Counseling

Intervention Description: This study tested the efficacy of coaching to reduce environmental tobacco smoke ETS exposure among asthmatic Latino children.

Intervention Results: Intervention parents reported their children exposed to significantly fewer cigarettes than control parents by 4 months (post-coaching). Reported prevalence of exposed children decreased to 52% for intervention families but only 69% for controls. By month 4, cotinine levels decreased from 54% to 40% among intervention and increased from 43% to 49% among control children. However, cotinine levels decreased among controls to same level achieved by intervention families by the 13-month follow-up.

Conclusion: Asthma management education plus coaching can reduce ETS exposure more than expected from education alone, and decreases in the coached condition may be sustained for about a year. The delayed decrease in cotinine among controls is discussed.

Study Design: RCT

Setting: Community (home)

Population of Focus: Latino or Hispanic families with an asthmatic child who lived in a home with a smoker and was exposed to at least 6 cigarettes in the past week

Data Source: Reported ETS exposure, children’s urine cotinine, air nicotine monitors, and parent’s saliva cotinine were measured

Sample Size: 204 Latino children ages 3-17 years with asthma

Age Range: Not specified

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Hovell MF, Zakarian JM, Matt GE, Liles S, Jones JA, Hofstetter CR, et al. Counseling to reduce children’s secondhand smoke exposure and help parents quit smoking: a controlled trial. Nicotine & Tobacco Research 2009;11(12): 1383–94.

Evidence Rating: Moderate Evidence

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): PARENT/FAMILY, Presentation/Meeting/Information Session/Event, Training (Parent/Family), CAREGIVER, Home Visit (caregiver), Education/Training (caregiver), Educational Material (caregiver), Motivational Interviewing/Counseling, Notification/Information Materials (Online Resources, Information Guide), PATIENT/CONSUMER, Pharmacotherapy (Nicotine), Home Visits, Educational Material, Motivational Interviewing, Peer Counselor, Telephone Support

Intervention Description: We tested a combined intervention to reduce children's secondhand smoke exposure (SHSe) and help parents quit smoking.

Intervention Results: Parents’ reports of their smoking and children’s exposure showed moderate and significant correlation with children’s urine cotinine levels and home air nicotine. 13 intervention group mothers and 4 controls reported quitting smoking for 7 days prior to 1 or more study measurements without biochemical contradiction. Results of generalized estimating equations showed significantly greater decrease in reported SHSe and mothers’ smoking in the counseled group compared with controls. Reported indoor smoking and children’s urine cotinine decreased, yet group differences for changes were not significant.

Conclusion: Nicotine contamination of the home and resulting thirdhand exposure may have contributed to the failure to obtain a differential decrease in cotinine concentration. Partial exposure to counseling due to dropouts and lack of full participation from all family members and measurement reactivity in both conditions may have constrained intervention effects. Secondhand smoke exposure counseling may have been less powerful when combined with smoking cessation.

Study Design: Two-group, repeated measures RCT

Setting: Community (home)

Population of Focus: WIC clients in San Diego, California

Data Source: 3 weekly baseline child urine cotinine measures collected before trial randomization then reported and urine cotinine measures at 3 (midintervention), 6 (post-intervention), 12, and 18 months

Sample Size: 150 families

Age Range: Not specified

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Hunt C. The effect of an education program on attitudes and beliefs about bullying and bullying behaviour in junior secondary school students. Child Adolesc Ment Health. 2007;12(1):21-26.

Evidence Rating: Moderate Evidence

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): PARENT/FAMILY, Presentation/Meeting/Information Session/Event, CLASSROOM, Adult-led Curricular Activities/Training, SCHOOL, Teacher/Staff Meeting

Intervention Description: This study assessed an intervention targeting bullying.

Intervention Results: Students reported bullying experiences on the Peer Relations Questionnaire and attitudes using the Attitude to Victim and Bully Scales, prior to the intervention and one year later. There was little difference between conditions on most measures.

Conclusion: Short-term educational approaches appear to have little impact on bullying behaviour, and schools may need to develop alternative approaches.

Study Design: Cluster RCT: pretest-posttest

Setting: Australia

Population of Focus: Not specified

Data Source: Not specified

Sample Size: Pretest: Intervention (n=155); Control (n=289) Posttest: Intervention (n=111); Control (n=207) Analysis: Intervention (n=152); Control (n=248)

Age Range: 12/15/2022

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Hutchinson SG, van Breukelen G, van Schayck CP, Essers B, Hammond SK, Muris JWM, Feron FJM, Dompeling E. (2017). Motivational interviewing and urine cotinine feedback to stop passive smoke exposure in children predisposed to asthma: a randomised controlled trial. Scientific Reports 2017 Nov 13;7(1):15473. doi: 10.1038/ s41598-017-15158-2

Evidence Rating: Moderate Evidence

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): PARENT/FAMILY, Presentation/Meeting/Information Session/Event, Training (Parent/Family), CAREGIVER, Home Visit (caregiver), Motivational Interviewing/Counseling

Intervention Description: We tested the effectiveness of a program consisting of motivational interviewing (MI) and feedback of urine cotinine to stop passive smoking (PS) in children at risk for asthma.

Intervention Results: After 6 months, a significant group difference was observed for the unverified parental report of stopping PS in children: 27% of parents in the intervention group versus 7% in the control group. For the verified parental report, the difference was similar (23% versus 7%) but was not statistically significant.

Conclusion: Despite a limited sample size, the results suggest that the intervention program is probably an effective strategy to stop PS in children. A program longer than 6 months might be necessary for a longer lasting intervention effect.

Study Design: RCT

Setting: Home-based (6 sessions)

Population of Focus: Families with children ages 0-13 with a high risk of asthma and passive smoking exposure

Data Source: Parental self-report, urine cotinine in children

Sample Size: 58 families

Age Range: Not specified

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Hutson, E., & Mazurek Melnyk, B. (2022). An adaptation of the COPE intervention for adolescent bullying victimization improved mental and physical health symptoms. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 28(6), 433-443.

Evidence Rating: Moderate

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): Adult-led Support/Counseling/Remediation, Presentation/Meeting/Information Session/Event, PARENT_FAMILY, YOUTH

Intervention Description: This pre-experimental study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of the MINDSTRONG to Combat Bullying Program for adolescents who have experienced bullying with concurrent mental health symptoms.

Intervention Results: Twenty adolescents and their parent dyads enrolled in the MINDSTRONG to Combat Bullying program. Significant reductions were found over time in adolescent self-reported depressive, anxiety and somatic symptoms as well as bullying victimization frequency, with large positive effect sizes for the intervention. Significant increases in adolescent personal beliefs also were found.

Conclusion: Although several of the intervention sessions needed to be rescheduled and many of the adolescents did not complete their weekly skills building homework, MINDSTRONG to Combat Bullying was found to be a highly acceptable intervention for adolescents that was effective in reducing physical and mental health symptoms as well as perceptions of bullying victimization.

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Kärnä A, Voeten M, Little TD, Alanen E, Poskiparta E, Salmivalli C. Effectiveness of the KiVa antibullying program: Grades 1–3 and 7–9. J Educ Psychol. 2013;105(2):535.

Evidence Rating: Moderate Evidence

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): YOUTH, Adult-led Support/Counseling/Remediation, Peer-led Mentoring/Support Counseling, PARENT/FAMILY, Notification/Information Materials (Online Resources, Information Guide), Presentation/Meeting/Information Session/Event, CLASSROOM, Adult-led Curricular Activities/Training, SCHOOL, Reporting & Response System, Teacher/Staff Training, Media Campaign (Print Materials, Public Address System, Social Media)

Intervention Description: This study investigated the effectiveness of the KiVa Antibullying Program in two samples of students, one from Grades 1-3 (7-9 years old, N = 6,927) and the other from Grades 7-9 (13-15 years old, N = 16, 503).

Intervention Results: Multilevel regression analyses revealed that after 9 months of implementation, the intervention had beneficial effects in Grades 1-3 on self-reported victimization and bullying (odds ratios approximately equal to 1.5), with some differential effects by gender. In Grades 7-9, statistically significant positive results were obtained on 5 of 7 criterion variables, but results often depended on gender and sometimes age. The effects were largest for boys' peer reports: bullying, assisting the bully, and reinforcing the bully (Cohen's ds 0.11-0.19).

Conclusion: Overall, the findings from the present study and from a previous study for Grades 4-6 (Karna, Voeten, Little, Poskiparta, Kaljonen, et al., 2011) indicate that the KiVa program is effective in reducing bullying and victimization in Grades 1-6, but the results are more mixed in Grades 7-9. (Contains 1 figure, 7 tables, and 1 footnote.)

Study Design: Cluster RCT: pretest-posttest

Setting: Finland

Population of Focus: Not specified

Data Source: Not specified

Sample Size: Total (n=16503)

Age Range: 13-15

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Stevens V, De Bourdeaudhuij I, Van Oost P. Bullying in flemish schools: An evaluation of anti-bullying intervention in primary and secondary schools. Br J Educ Psychol. 2000;70:195- 210.

Evidence Rating: Moderate Evidence

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): YOUTH, Adult-led Support/Counseling/Remediation, PARENT/FAMILY, Presentation/Meeting/Information Session/Event, CLASSROOM, Adult-led Curricular Activities/Training, Class Rules, SCHOOL, Teacher/Staff Meeting, Teacher/Staff Training, School Rules

Intervention Description: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate behavioural effectiveness of a school-based anti-bullying approach within Flemish schools. In addition, specific attention was given to the relationship between outcome findings and external support.

Intervention Results: The findings regarding the effects of the school-based anti-bullying intervention programme on the extent of bullying and victimisation showed a mixed pattern of positive changes in primary schools and zero outcomes in secondary schools. The findings regarding the effects of external support revealed limited outcomes.

Conclusion: The outcomes of the evaluation study confirm that a school-based anti-bullying intervention strategy can be effective in reducing problems with bullying, especially within primary schools. It was argued that the developmental characteristics of secondary school students interfered with the programme outcomes. In addition, the findings revealed no extra effects of specific training sessions.

Study Design: Cluster RCT: pretest-posttest

Setting: Belgium

Population of Focus: Not specified

Data Source: Not specified

Sample Size: Treatment with Support (n=284) Treatment without Support (n=277) Control (n=151)

Age Range: NR

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Wölfer R, Schultze-Krumbholz A, Zagorscak P, Jäkel A, Göbel K, Scheithauer H. Prevention 2.0: Targeting cyberbullying@ school. Prev Sci. 2014;15(6):879-887.

Evidence Rating: Emerging Evidence

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): PARENT/FAMILY, Presentation/Meeting/Information Session/Event, CLASSROOM, Adult-led Curricular Activities/Training

Intervention Description: the present study introduces a theory-based cyberbullying prevention program (Media Heroes; German original: Medienhelden) and evaluates its effectiveness.

Intervention Results: While the present results revealed worrying prevalence rates of cyberbullying in middle school, multilevel analyses clearly demonstrate the program's effectiveness in reducing cyberbullying behavior within intervention classes in contrast to classes of the control group.

Conclusion: Hence, this study presents a promising program which evidentially prevents cyberbullying in schools

Study Design: QE: pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group

Setting: Germany

Population of Focus: Not specified

Data Source: Not specified

Sample Size: Total (n=593) Long Version (n=194); Short Version (n=104); Control (n=295)

Age Range: Mean: 13.3

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The MCH Digital Library is one of six special collections at Geogetown University, the nation's oldest Jesuit institution of higher education. It is supported in part by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under award number U02MC31613, MCH Advanced Education Policy with an award of $700,000/year. The library is also supported through foundation and univerity funding. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.