Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41961798›Full record

ArticlePLOS global public health2026

Implementation barriers of Brazil's national home visitation program for early childhood development: A qualitative evaluation.

Christopher M Westgard, Ana Carolina Silva Onofre, Nayara Vieira Peres, Luana Bessa, Ana Luiza Raggio Colagrossi, Jaqueline Lima Santos, Diego Fontana Siqueira Cunha, Alexandra Brentani

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PLOS global public health, 2026. 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

8 authors.

Christopher M WestgardHarvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8914-4021
Ana Carolina Silva OnofreDepartment of Pediatrics, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8243-3611
Nayara Vieira PeresDepartment of Pediatrics, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0005-8682-2447
Luana BessaDepartment of Pediatrics, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0005-4699-6290
Ana Luiza Raggio ColagrossiChild Development Center, University of São Paulo Medical School CEDI-FMUSP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Jaqueline Lima SantosDepartment of Pediatrics, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8790-7550
Diego Fontana Siqueira CunhaDepartment of Pediatrics, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6606-941X
Alexandra BrentaniDepartment of Pediatrics, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6650-9705

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This research delves into the challenges faced in implementing home visitation programs for early childhood development, focusing on the Programa Criança Feliz (PCF) in Brazil. We aimed to better understand what barriers are hindering PCF from creating a greater positive impact on its primary outcomes. This is a cross-sectional qualitative study. We conducted qualitative interviews and focus group discussions in 11 Brazilian municipalities. The study participants were asked about expectations of the workforce, curriculum content, training, and supervision, working conditions, program design, favorable environment, and quality monitoring and assurance. Data analysis followed the Framework Method approach. The codebook followed the categorization from the Home Visiting Workforce Needs Assessment framework and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research framework. A total of 38 participants took part in the 6 focus group discussions and 11 key informant interviews. A range of challenges impeding PCF implementation were identified. The home visitation guidelines lack a clear structured curriculum for the home visitors to follow. Some home visitors felt overburdened due to a lack of training, limited materials, long commutes to visits, and a high number of families to visit. High turnover rates of home visitors further contribute to the difficulties. Hard-to-reach communities and families were often excluded from the program because the home visit quota goals do not consider travel time to distant communities. The cascading training structure of PCF often results in the home visitors being trained by individuals with little or no training in child development, pedagogy, or the program structure. Our findings reveal barriers created by the content and implementation of PCF, shedding light on the need for tailored strategies to overcome these challenges. These results provide practical, transferable insights for home visitation and analogous early-childhood programs operating in resource-constrained settings, with applicability to other contexts contingent on contextual similarity.

Identifiers

PMID41961798
PMCPMC13068277

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.