The study team published analysis of the impact of NFP on secondary prenatal outcomes on August 7th 2023.
Summary of Results
NFP did not have any impact on secondary prenatal outcomes in the randomized controlled trial. We examined prenatal care quantity and intensity (e.g., number of prenatal visits), use of guideline-based prenatal care (e.g., Tdap vaccination), other health care use during pregnancy (e.g., number of emergency room visits), and gestational weight gain. There were no statistically significant differences in these outcomes between the treatment and control groups, after adjusting for multiple hypothesis testing. There were also no statistically significant impacts of NFP on these outcomes in the vulnerable or non-Hispanic Black subgroups.
To understand more about who enrolled in NFP as part of the randomized controlled trial, we used birth certificate data to compare our study population to those who would have been eligible but did not enroll. Trial enrollees were younger, more likely to be Black, and less likely to have completed postsecondary education. They also had higher rates of obesity and hypertension prior to pregnancy and higher rates of NICU admission, but no difference in other birth outcomes. Enrollees had higher use of prenatal care and were more likely to use WIC. Taken together, we can see that people who chose to enroll in the trial faced higher social and clinical needs, and they were more likely to be already engaged in health and social service use. Providing NFP to the general Medicaid population may not be an effective way to improve prenatal care and may not reach people who are not well-connected to health and social services.
FAQs
What was the impact of the expansion of the Nurse-Family Partnership in South Carolina on secondary outcomes related to prenatal health care utilization, quality, and pregnancy health?
There were no statistically significant impacts of receiving NFP services on prenatal care quantity and intensity, use of guideline-based prenatal care, other health care use during pregnancy, or gestational weight gain.
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