Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Healthy Start, Happy start is a randomised controlled trial that tested the clinical- and cost-effectiveness of a brief parenting programme - Video-feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting and Sensitive Discipline (VIPP-SD).

Children and parents cook together

VIPP-SD aims to promote parental sensitivity and sensitive discipline by using videos of caregivers and their children to highlight positive moments and provide tips for challenging behaviours.

300 families were recruited into the trial from 6 NHS Trusts, including Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, Whittington Health NHS Trust, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, North East London Foundation Trust and Hertfordshire Community Trust.

Important highlights from the early study findings include:

  • The programme appears to be most helpful for those more challenging moments young children experience like tantrums and refusals
  • Feedback from families about the programme was positive
  • Therapists delivering the programme were able to complete almost all of the visits (94%). This indicates the programme may be possible to deliver as part of a wider caseload.

For more information on the study, A Brief Home-Based Parenting Intervention to Reduce Behaviour Problems in Young Children.

To watch a study summary.

 

Professor Alan Stein, co-investigator and co-author on the study, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, said:

 

'This large treatment trial involving over 300 families showed that a home-based intervention was able to reduce and prevent behavioural problems in young children. This is particularly important because the intervention was delivered within NHS health visiting services, which means it could potentially be made widely available.'

NIHR OXFORD HEALTH BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CENTRE NEWS

Please follow the link below to read the news on the NIHR BRC website.