Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39285663›Full record

ArticleJournal of public health (Oxford, England)2025

How does health visiting in the first year of life vary by family characteristics? A longitudinal analysis of administrative data.

C Bunting, A Clery, L McGrath-Lone, M Liu, S Kendall, H Bedford, F Cavallaro, E C Saloniki, K Harron, J Woodman

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of public health (Oxford, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

C BuntingUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK.
A CleryUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK.
L McGrath-LoneSocial Research Institute, University College London, London WC1H 0AA, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-0867-6673
M LiuUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK.
S KendallCentre for Health Services Studies, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NF, UK.
H BedfordUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK.
F CavallaroData Analytics Team, The Health Foundation, London EC4Y 8AP, UK.
E C SalonikiDepartment of Primary Care and Population Health, University College London, London NW3 2PF, UK.
K HarronUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-3418-2856
J WoodmanSocial Research Institute, University College London, London WC1H 0AA, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-9403-4177

Funding

Department of Health and Social CareNational Institute for Health and Care Research Public Health Research Programme NIHR129901Policy Research Programme NIHR203450Policy Research Unit PR-PRU-1217-21301
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe health visiting service in UK promotes the health and wellbeing of families with young children and comprises a universal offer (three mandated contacts between birth and 12 months) and additional contacts based on need. We aimed to understand how the level of health visiting support received varies by family characteristics.

methodsUsing the Community Services Data Set linked to Hospital Episode Statistics, we identified 52 555 children in 10 local authorities with complete health visiting data for 12 months between April 2016 and March 2020. We analysed variation in health visiting contacts by deprivation, child ethnicity, maternal age, adversity and previous live births.

results41 340/52 555 children (79%) received the universal service; 63% received ≥1 additional contact and 25% received ≥3 additional contacts. The likelihood of receiving ≥3 additional contacts was greatest for children whose mothers had a history of hospital admissions relating to mental health, violence, self-harm or substance misuse (adjusted relative risk = 1.55, 95% confidence interval 1.26-1.92).

conclusionsMost families received health visiting support in addition to the universal service. Policymakers and commissioners should consider how health visiting services can be expanded or targeted more effectively to ensure all families receive the support they need.

Indexed as

Family CharacteristicsAdultFemaleHumansInfantInfant, NewbornLongitudinal StudiesMaleUnited Kingdomchildrenhealth servicespublic health

Identifiers

PMID39285663
PMCPMC11879038

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.