Factors influencing caregiver attrition in a US home visiting programme

Abstract

The Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting programme (MIECHV) has proven to be effective for at-risk mothers and children; yet little is known about caregivers who leave before programme completion. Examining the current prevalence of home visiting programme caregiver attrition would help inform initiatives to address disparities in maternal and child health. A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted using the South Carolina MIECHV 2010–2020 data. The results showed that around one fifth (20.9%) of caregivers aged 18–19 years left their respective home visiting programmes between 3 and 6 months (p<0.01). Length of enrolment differed significantly by caregiver age, ethnicity, poverty level and household size. Caregivers who identified as more than one ethnicity had the highest rate of leaving the programme before 6 months. Nearly two thirds (65.3%) of caregivers with a household size of one left the home visiting programme before 6 months. The findings from this study may be informative for the continued development and support of caregivers after the Covid-19 pandemic.