Anna Chiesa
University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
Title: A home visit program for pregnant youth in a poor urban area in Sao Paulo, Brazil
Biography
Biography: Anna Chiesa
Abstract
Through a RCT , the project tests for the first time in Latin America a novel, intensive nurse home visitation program for first-time pregnant youth living in poor urban areas between 8 and 16 weeks pregnancy until the baby is 12 months old. The program is inspired by two well-studied interventions (Nurse Family Partnership and Minding the Baby) but was tailored to the socio-cultural aspects and to the health system organization of a developing country. The project further innovates by focusing on the biological underpinnings of the positive environmental stimuli promoted by the intervention by measuring repeatedly neurophysiological indicators of brain maturation, which has not been done previously in the field. The program is supported by self-efficacy theory (Bandura), bioecological theory (Brofenbrenner) and attachment theory (Bowlby and Ainsworth). The intervention is based on: (1) Health and social care: Psychoeducation regarding maternal and child health. Also, the nurse encourages the participant to seek for health care and social services when it is needed. (2) Environmental health: The nurse provides support to identify resources to guarantee adequate living conditions, safe housing, day care and school, access to health services. (3) Life course: Life course planning to help participants achieve goals such as finish high school, find a part-time job and postpone the birth of a second child. The needs and goals of the participants are discussed individually and it is always respected. (4) Parenting skills: Intervention on parenting skills and behaviors. At the conference we intend to share the structure and instruments developed for the interventions as well as preliminary data of impact that are being collected till date.