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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 12 (12 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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Berardi V, Collins BN, Glynn LM, Lepore SJ, Mahabee-Gittens EM, Wilson KM, Hovell MF. Real-time feedback of air quality in children's bedrooms reduces exposure to secondhand smoke. Tob Prev Cessat. 2022 Jun 22;8:23. doi: 10.18332/tpc/149908. PMID: 35811785; PMCID: PMC9214655.

Evidence Rating: Emerging

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): Home Visits, Reporting & Response System, CLASSROOM_SCHOOL, PATIENT_CONSUMER, Feedback

Intervention Description: This study evaluated whether immediate feedback in response to poor indoor air quality in children’s bedrooms can reduce the potential for SHS exposure, as measured by adherence to a World Health Organization (WHO) indoor air standard.

Intervention Results: The likelihood that a child’s bedroom met the WHO indoor air quality standard on a given day increased such that the baseline versus post-baseline odds ratio (OR) of maintaining indoor PM2.5 levels below the WHO guideline was 2.38 times larger for participants who received the intervention. Similarly, the baseline versus post-baseline OR associated with achieving an SFH was 3.49 times larger for participants in the intervention group.

Conclusion: The real-time intervention successfully drove clinically meaningful changes in smoking behavior that mitigated indoor PM2.5 levels in children’s bedrooms and thereby reduced SHS exposure. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of targeting sensitive microenvironments by giving caregivers actionable information about children’s SHS risks. Future extensions should examine additional microenvironments and focus on identifying the potential for SHS exposure before it occurs.

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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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Ekerbicer HC, Celik M, Guler E, Davutoglu M, Kilinc M. Evaluating environmental tobacco smoke exposure in a group of Turkish primary school students and developing intervention methods for prevention. BMC Public Health 2007;7:202.

Evidence Rating: Emerging Evidence

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): YOUTH, CAREGIVER, Outreach (caregiver), Assessment, SCHOOL, Reporting & Response System

Intervention Description: The goals of this study were to determine the self-reported environmental tobacco smoke exposure status (ETS) of primary school students in grades 3 to 5, to verify self-reported exposure levels with data provided from a biomarker of exposure, and to develop methods for preventing school children from passive smoking.

Intervention Results: According to questionnaire data, 59.9% of the study group (208 of 347) were exposed to ETS. Urinary cotinine measurements of children were highly consistent with the self-reported exposure levels (P < 0.001). Two different intervention methods were applied to parents of the exposed children. Control tests suggested a remarkable reduction in the proportion of those children demonstrating a recent exposure to ETS in both groups. Proportions of children with urinary cotinine concentrations 10 ng/ml or lower were 79.5% in Group I and 74.2% in Group II (P > 0.05).

Conclusion: Self-reported ETS exposure was found to be pretty accurate in the 9–11 age group when checked with urinary cotinine tests. Only informing parents that their childrens' ETS exposure were confirmed by a laboratory test seems to be very promising in preventing children from ETS.

Study Design: Comparison of two groups with different interventions

Setting: Private school primary grades 3-5

Population of Focus: Primary school students

Data Source: Data collected by project staff

Sample Size: 347 students

Age Range: Not specified

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Hovell MF, Bellettiere J, Liles S On behalf of Fresh Air Research Group, et alRandomised controlled trial of real-time feedback and brief coaching to reduce indoor smokingTobacco Control 2020;29:183-190.

Evidence Rating: Emerging

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): Adult-led Support/Counseling/Remediation, Reporting & Response System, YOUTH, CLASSROOM_SCHOOL, PATIENT_CONSUMER, Feedback

Intervention Description: This SHS reduction trial assigned families at random to brief coaching and continuous real-time feedback (intervention) or measurement-only (control) groups.

Intervention Results: PEs were significantly correlated with air nicotine levels (r=0.60) and reported indoor cigarette smoking (r=0.51). Interrupted time-series analyses showed an immediate intervention effect, with reduced PEs the day following intervention initiation. The trajectory of daily PEs over the intervention period declined significantly faster in intervention homes than in control homes. Pretest to post-test, air nicotine levels, cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use decreased more in intervention homes than in control homes.

Conclusion: Results suggest that real-time particle feedback and coaching contingencies reduced PEs generated by cigarette smoking and other sources.

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Jenkins J. M. (2018). Healthy and Ready to Learn: Effects of a School-Based Public Health Insurance Outreach Program for Kindergarten-Aged Children. The Journal of school health, 88(1), 44–53. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12579

Evidence Rating: Emerging

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): School-Based Family Intervention, Reporting & Response System,

Intervention Description: The "Healthy and Ready to Learn" (HRL) program was a school-based health insurance outreach initiative that aimed to identify and enroll uninsured kindergarten-aged children in areas of high economic need in 16 counties in North Carolina . The program worked with school nurses and staff by providing regional trainings on how to use a required health assessment form, submitted at school entry, to identify uninsured children who could be eligible but not enrolled in North Carolina’s public health insurance programs . The program also provided families with information about the importance of insurance and preventive care for their children . The intervention was implemented over a period of 3 years, from 2009 to 2011 .

Intervention Results: The initiative increased enrollment rates by 12.2% points and increased well-child exam rates by 8.6% points in the RD models, but not differences-in-differences, and did not significantly increase well-child visits.

Conclusion: Findings demonstrate the potential benefits of using schools as a point of intervention in enrolling young children in public health insurance and as a source of trusted information for low-income parents.

Study Design: Mixed methods (quasi-experimental)

Setting: Community (16 counties in North Carolina)

Population of Focus: Uninsured kindergareners in areas of high economic need

Sample Size: 300 kindergarteners

Age Range: 4-6 years

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Johander, E., Turunen, T., Garandeau, C. F., & Salmivalli, C. (2021). Different approaches to address bullying in KiVa schools: Adherence to guidelines, strategies implemented, and outcomes obtained. Prevention Science, 22, 299-310.

Evidence Rating: Moderate

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): Multicomponent School-Based Program, Reporting & Response System, CLASSROOM_SCHOOL

Intervention Description: We examined the extent to which school personnel implementing the KiVa® antibullying program in Finland during 2009-2015 systematically employed the program-recommended approaches (confronting or non-confronting), used one or the other depending on the bullying case (case-specific approach), or used their own adaptation when talking to perpetrators of bullying, and whether they organized follow-up meetings after such discussions.

Intervention Results: Two-level regression analyses indicated that the discussions were equally effective, according to both personnel and victimized students, when the confronting, non-confronting, or a case-specific approach had been used. The discussions were less effective when the personnel used their own adaptation or could not specify the method used. Perceived effectiveness was higher in primary school and when follow-up meetings were organized systematically after each intervention, but unrelated to the number of years KiVa had been implemented.

Conclusion: Perceived effectiveness was higher in primary school and when follow-up meetings were organized systematically after each intervention, but unrelated to the number of years KiVa had been implemented.

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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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Peterson L, Rigby K. Countering bullying at an Australian secondary school with students as helpers. J Adolesc. 1999;22(4):481-492.

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, Peer-led Mentoring/Support Counseling, CLASSROOM, Peer-led Curricular Activities/Training, SCHOOL, Assembly, Reporting & Response System, Teacher/Staff Training, School Rules, Media Campaign (Print Materials, Public Address System, Social Media)

Intervention Description: To counter bullying at an Australian coeducational secondary school, staff and students co-operated in developing and implementing appropriate policies and procedures.

Intervention Results: Questionnaires assessing the incidence of bullying and related attitudes were completed by students in Years 7, 9, 10 and 11 in 1995 and again in 1997. Significant reductions in levels of victimization were recorded for Year 7 students only. Significantly increased support for anti-bullying initiatives was found among senior students (Years 10 and 11)

Conclusion: Anti-bullying activities directed and undertaken by students themselves received most approval from peers.

Study Design: QE: pretest-posttest

Setting: Australia

Population of Focus: Not specified

Data Source: Not specified

Sample Size: NR (The school has a total of ~1200 students; 4 of the 5 grades included in the study)

Age Range: NR

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Schroeder BA, Messina A, Schroeder D, et al. The implementation of a statewide bullying prevention program: Preliminary findings from the field and the importance of coalitions. Health Promot Pract. 2012;13(4):489-495.

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, CLASSROOM, Adult-led Curricular Activities/Training, Enforcement of School Rules, Notification/Information Materials (Online Resources, Information Guide), SCHOOL, Bullying Committee, Reporting & Response System, Teacher/Staff Training, School Rules, POPULATION-BASED SYSTEMS, COMMUNITY, Media Campaign (Print Materials, Radio, TV), Presentation

Intervention Description: The goal of this large population-based initiative was to reduce bullying by producing a quantifiable change in school climate using an established program and standardized measurement tool.

Intervention Results: After 1 to 2 years of program implementation, across cohorts, there were reductions in student self-reports of bullying others, and improvements in student perceptions of adults' responsiveness, and students' attitudes about bullying.

Conclusion: This initiative reaffirms the efficacy of the OBPP, emphasizes the importance of an identified coalition, and highlights several positive outcomes. It is recommended that the OBPP be implemented through the establishment of community partnerships and coalitions as consistent with the public health model.

Study Design: QE: pretest-posttest age-equivalent cohort

Setting: US

Population of Focus: Not specified

Data Source: Not specified

Sample Size: HALT! Schools Cohort 1: Middle school (n=0); High school (n=999) Cohort 2: Middle school (n=12972); High school (n=7436) PA CARES Schools: Middle school (n=9899); High School (n=6048)

Age Range: NR

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Zhang D, Qiu X. School-based tobacco-use prevention - People’s Republic of China, May 1989-January 1990. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 1993;42(19):370-1, 377.

Evidence Rating: Emerging Evidence

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): SCHOOL, School Rules, YOUTH, Adult-led Support/Counseling/Remediation, Reporting & Response System

Intervention Description: A tobacco prevention curriculum comprising social and health consequences of tobacco use and training in refusal skills was introduced. Smoking control policies for schools was encouraged. Children in intervention schools wrote letters to their fathers to ask them to quit smoking and monitored their smoking behavior. At baseline, 68.8% of father in the intervention group smoked and 65.6% of father in the control group smoked.

Intervention Results: At follow-up the scores of students in the intervention group were significantly higher than both the reference group follow-up scores and the intervention group baseline scores. The reported smoking rate for fathers in the intervention group decreased from 68.8% to 60.7% (p<0.05) while the reported rate remained approximately the same among fathers in the reference group. Approximately 90% of the father in the intervention group who were smokers reported to have quit smoking for at least 10 days. The 6-month cessation rate for fathers in the intervention group was 11.7% compared with 0.2% in the reference group.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that school-based tobacco use prevention curricula and policies are effective in increasing knowledge among students about the health consequences of tobacco use.

Study Design: Control trial

Setting: Community (school)

Population of Focus: Children in grades 1-7 from 23 primary schools and their fathers

Data Source: Self-reported questionnaires.

Sample Size: 20,382 children with 10,395 in the intervention group and 9987 in the control group

Age Range: Not specified

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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.