Expanding the Family Check-up in Early Childhood to Promote Cardiovascular Health of Mothers and Young Children

April 2022 - April 2027

National Institutes of Health

With the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Magee-Womens Research Institute, Healthy Start is seeking to improve the cardiovascular health (CVH) of mothers and their children by adding a targeted follow-up CVH promotion intervention to the Family Check-Up model (FCU), creating FCU-Heart. This multi-site, parallel randomized clinical trial will investigate the effect of enhanced CVH education and support within an established, credentialed program focusing on the postpartum years on the CVH of mothers and infants, with the aim of reducing racial disparities in cardiovascular risk factors.

Healthy Start’s role in this project involves co-developing the study design and protocols, employing and managing the community health workers who are providing the study intervention, and overseeing the development and delivery of a community health worker intervention to promote cardiovascular health utilizing the Family Check Up Model.