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Factors Associated With Residential Relocation and Effects on Early Childhood Development in a Low-Income Home Visitation Population

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Abstract

Residential relocation (RR) is associated with behavior problems and cognitive delays in school-age children. Little is known regarding effects of RR on early childhood development. The data from this study were collected from 2011 to 2016 through the Cincinnati Home Injury Prevention and Literacy Promotion Trial. The purpose of the current study was to identify factors associated with RR and determine effects of RR on early childhood development in a cohort of mother/child dyads (n = 424). High RR was relocating ≥ 3 times over the 24-month study period. Differences in baseline characteristics and early childhood development, measured by the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) and MacArthur Bates Communicative Development Inventory, according to relocations, were estimated by negative binomial regression and logistic regression, respectively. Participants moved on average 1.46 times over 24 months. Relocations decreased by 0.05 for each year of increasing maternal age. Mothers with college degrees moved 0.72 fewer times than those with a high school diploma or less. Mothers living alone moved 0.47 fewer times than their counterparts. Mothers who could not count on someone to loan them $1000 and those with food insecurity more (0.41) than their counterparts (0.50). Odds of scoring in the bottom-tertile for the communication domain of the ASQ was significantly higher in those relocating ≥ 3 times. High RR was associated with concern for delayed language development at 24-month follow-up in some, but not all models. Early intervention may be more successful if primary care physicians and community health professionals collaborate to link families at risk of high RR to relevant community based resources.

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Abbreviations

CHIP:

Cincinnati Home Injury Prevention and Literacy Promotion Trial cohort

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Bin Huang, PhD for statistical support and consultation as well as Stacey Woeste and Stacey Liddy-Hicks for data management support. We would also like to thank Kim Yolton, PhD for providing her child development expertise. We acknowledge the support of Every Child Succeeds, its agencies, and participating families. Every Child Succeeds is funded by the United Way of Greater Cincinnati, Ohio Help Me Grow, and the Kentucky HANDS program. This project was supported by funds from the Bureau of Health Professions (BHPr), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), under the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Institutional Training Grant: Primary Care Research Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Health. The information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by the BHPR, HRSA, DHHS or the U.S. Government.

Funding

Allison Parsons, PhD is supported by Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Institutional Training Grant: Primary Care Research Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Health. Kieran Phelan, MD is supported by: R01HD066115 from the Eunice Kennedy Schriver National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD) and by an Interagency Agreement from the US Department of Housing & Urban Development.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children′s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC), 3333 Burnet Ave, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA

    Allison A. Parsons & Kristen A. Copeland

  2. Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, CCHMC, 3333 Burnet Ave, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA

    Nicholas J. Ollberding

  3. Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, CCHMC, 3333 Burnet Ave, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA

    Kieran J. Phelan

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  1. Allison A. Parsons
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Parsons, A.A., Ollberding, N.J., Copeland, K.A. et al. Factors Associated With Residential Relocation and Effects on Early Childhood Development in a Low-Income Home Visitation Population. J Primary Prevent 42, 125–141 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-021-00625-4

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