Home Visitation Program Research Articles

Promoting mother-infant relationships and underlying neural correlates: Results from a randomized controlled trial of a home-visiting program for adolescent mothers in Brazil.

Poverty and teenage pregnancy are common in low‐and‐middle‐income countries and can impede the development of healthy parent‐child relationships. This study aimed to test whether a home‐visiting intervention could improve early attachment relationships between adolescent mothers and their infants living in poverty in Brazil. Analyses were conducted on secondary outcomes from a randomized controlled trial (NCT0280718) testing the efficacy of a home‐visiting program, Primeiros Laços, on adolescent mothers’ health and parenting skills and their infants’ development. Pregnant youth were randomized to intervention (n = 40) or care‐as‐usual (CAU, n = 40) from the first trimester of pregnancy until infants were aged 24 months. Mother‐infant attachment was coded during a mother‐infant interaction when the infants were aged 12 months. Electrophysiological correlates of social processing (mean amplitude of the Nc component) were measured while infants viewed facial images of the mother and a stranger at age 6 months. Infants in the intervention group were more securely attached and more involved with their mothers than those receiving CAU at 12 months. Smaller Nc amplitudes to the mother's face at 6 months were associated with better social behavior at 12 months. Our findings indicate that the Primeiros Laços Program is effective in enhancing the development of mother‐infant attachment.

The impact of a mother-infant intervention on parenting and infant response to challenge: A pilot randomized controlled trial with adolescent mothers in El Salvador.

A pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted in El Salvador of an intervention ('Thula Sana') previously shown to enhance maternal sensitivity and infant security of attachment in a South African sample. In El Salvador, trained community workers delivered the intervention from late pregnancy to 6 months postpartum as part of a home-visiting programme. The sample comprised 64 pregnant adolescent women, aged 14-19 years, living in predominantly rural settings. They were randomised to receive either the intervention or normal care. Demographic information was collected at baseline and, immediately post-intervention, blind assessments were made of parental sensitivity and infant emotion regulation. The intervention was found to have a substantial positive impact on maternal sensitivity. Further, compared to control group, infants in the intervention group showed more regulated behaviour: in a social challenge task they showed more attempts to restore communication, and in a non-social challenge task they showed more social and goal-directed behaviour. This replication and extension of the South African findings in a small El Salvador sample shows promise and justifies the conduct of a large-scale RCT in a Central or South American context.

Service Coordination to Address Maternal Mental Health, Partner Violence, and Substance Use: Findings from a National Survey of Home Visiting Programs.

Maternal risks such as poor mental health, partner violence, and substance misuse can undermine child health and development. Maternal and early childhood home visiting programs address these risks primarily through referral and coordination with community-based services, yet effects on these outcomes have been small. This study assessed the strengths of local home visiting sites' systems to support coordination of mental health, partner violence, and substance use services. Investigators recruited home visiting sites (N = 88) representing diverse models from a national practice-based research network, the Home Visiting Applied Research Collaborative (HARC). Web-based surveys assessed five implementation system supports for coordination and nine coordination activities drawn from the Measurement Framework for Coordination developed earlier in the project. Surveys also assessed seven coordination barriers identified in previous research. Sites varied in their implementation supports and coordination activities; on average, sites had stronger systems in place to support screening and referring families than to support linkage and follow-up. Implementation supports and activity scores were higher for mental health and partner violence than for substance use. Across all service needs, scores were highest for offering a referral and documenting the caregiver's agreement for exchange of information between providers. Scores were lowest for offering a warm handoff. Lack of open slots and lack of transportation were major barriers to successful coordination for all three services. Results suggest that home visiting coordination could be strengthened by focusing on infrastructure for linkage and follow-up with services in the broader system of care.

Program Home Visit: Penguatan Perkembangan Nilai Agama dan Moral Anak Usia Dini di Era New Normal

The spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19) causes all activities and learning activities to be carried out from home. The home visit program is one of the programs at TK Ar-Rahman Tasikmadu Karanganyar in the new normal era. The purpose of this study was to describe the home visit program in strengthening the development of religious and moral values ​​in early childhood in Kindergarten Ar-Rahman Tasikmadu Karanganyar. This study used a descriptive qualitative approach with data collection using interviews, observation, and documentation. The research subjects were group A TK Ar-Rahman. Data analysis using a model developed by Miles and Huberman. The results showed that in the new normal era, the development of religious and moral values ​​in the TK A group in TK Ar-Rahman went well through the home visit program. The home visit program procedure consists of: planning, implementing, evaluating, and analyzing the results of the evaluation, follow-up, and reports. The aspect of religion being developed is that children can know their religion, children can imitate worship movements in the right order, children can say prayers before and/or after doing something, children can say greetings and return greetings. While the moral aspects include: children can recognize good, polite, and bad behavior, and children can get used to behaving well.

Economic evaluation methods used in home-visiting interventions: A systematic search and review.

Home-visiting interventions are used to improve outcomes for families experiencing disadvantage. As scarce resources must be allocated carefully, appropriate methods are required to provide accurate information on the effect of these programmes. We aimed to investigate: economic evaluation/analysis methods used in home-visiting programmes for children, young people and families, study designs and methods suitable in situations where randomised-controlled-trials are not feasible, and type of costs included in analyses, including any implementation costs stated. A systematic search and review was conducted of existing full economic evaluation/analysis methods in home-visiting programmes for children, young people and/or families. We included studies published in English between January 2000 and mid-November 2020. Of the 4,742 papers sourced, 60 were retained for full-text review, and 21 included. Economic-analysis methods found in the included studies were: within trial economic evaluation, economic evaluation using decision analytic modelling (i.e. cost-utility, cost-benefit analysis), cost comparison and cost-consequence. Studies incorporating return on investment and budget impact analysis were also found. Study designs suitable when randomisation was not feasible included parallel cluster randomised trials and using pre-post intervention data. Costs depended mainly on study context and only one study reported implementation costs. We hope this information will help guide future economic evaluations of home-visiting interventions.

Encountering Child Abuse and Neglect in Home Visiting: a Qualitative Study of Visitor and Supervisor Experiences

Prevention of child maltreatment is a goal of home visiting (HV) for new mothers. How home visitors and their clinical supervisors manage concerns about child maltreatment may impact both the families' and the home visitors' engagement with the program. We sought to understand how HV personnel encounter and respond to concerns of child maltreatment and how these concerns are related to their work with families. We conducted an interpretive descriptive qualitative study of home visitors and supervisors in a statewide HV program, using the Parents as Teachers curriculum, to describe the experience of HV personnel. Two researchers conducted semi-structured interviews March 2016 to October 2017. Interviews were concurrently transcribed, coded, and analyzed, using thematic analysis. After 13 interviews with home visitors and 13 interviews with supervisors, codes and themes were saturated. We identified three themes: Decision to Call Child Protective Services (CPS), Relationships, and Collaborating with CPS. The decision to call CPS was described as difficult, and there was substantial variation in the details of this decision. The relationship between home visitor and family was consistently the most important. Variations were seen in how home visitors and supervisors collaborated with CPS, ranging from strong connections through liaisons to frustrations due to poor communication and perceived variation in how cases were handled. The decision to report a family to CPS is a challenging clinical issue; additional training and connections with CPS may improve consistency across sites for home visitors.

The effects of home visiting on mother-child interactions: Evidence from a randomized trial using dynamic micro-level data

BackgroundHome visiting programs constitute an important policy to support vulnerable families with young children. One of their principal aims is to improve infant-parent relationships, so a key measure of their effectiveness is based on observational measures of parent-children interactions. In the present study we provide novel evidence on the effectiveness of home visiting programs in improving mother-child interactions within a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the Pro Kind program. A major goal of the Pro Kind program is to promote child development by strengthening the intuitive parenting skills of mothers. On this basis, the following research question is addressed in this paper: What is the impact of the Pro Kind home visitation program on the quality of mother-child interaction? MethodsA randomly chosen subsample of the original sample was selected to participate on video recordings. This subsample of 109 mother-child dyads was videotaped during a 3-min typical play situation at the participants’ homes when the child was aged 25 months. We use a novel micro-coding system which allows us to examine how the intervention affected the dynamic feedback responses of both mothers and children in three key measures of behavior: orientation, positive contingency, and negative/lack of contingency. The analysis was conducted using a set of static probit models and dynamic cross-lagged panel probit models for each measure. ResultsThe intervention significantly improved the interactions between girls and their mothers, by increasing the prevalence of orientation and positive contingency (and reducing that of negative/lack of contingency). This was achieved by increasing both the persistence of positive behaviors and also the probability of switching from negative to positive behaviors in the treatment group. Mixed impacts were detected for boys. ConclusionsOverall, it can be said that the Pro Kind program has a positive impact on the quality of mother-daughter interaction. However, our findings might also influence the design and delivery of home visiting programs, to the extent that they suggest that more attention has to be devoted to the interactions between boys and their mothers. Furthermore, the results show the importance of careful dynamic modelling of interactions data from videotaped observations to have a more complete understanding of the effectiveness of home visiting programs.

Evaluation of a Home Visiting Program: Perspectives of Mothers.

Home visiting programs provide families with an array of services that contribute to decreased infant and maternal morbidity and mortality. However, little is known as to how mothers perceive participation in home visiting programs, and questions remain regarding what improvements can be made to better serve these families. The purpose of this program evaluation was to assess mothers' perceived benefits and barriers to participation in established home visiting and outreach programs at Child Developmental Resources (CDR) in Williamsburg, Virginia. The program evaluation was a descriptive project consisting of 30-minute telephone interviews. Participants included 23 English-speaking mothers enrolled in CDR programs. Maternal demographics and perception of benefits/barriers were measured. Descriptive statistics were performed to describe sample demographics and outcome variables. Overall, most mothers perceived CDR programs as beneficial and were very satisfied with the services; however, a few changes could be made to improve programs and combat barriers to participation. Potential alternatives to supplement programs were suggested including the use of mobile technology in the participant's home.

Improving Transitions Of Care For Medically Complex Pediatric Cardiology Patients Through A Physician Home Visit Program: A Quality Improvement Project

Improving Transitions Of Care For Medically Complex Pediatric Cardiology Patients Through A Physician Home Visit Program: A Quality Improvement Project

Advancing Quality Improvement in Public Health by Exploring CQI in Alabama's Home Visiting Program.

Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) is the use of a deliberate and defined improvement process to advance organizational systems. Quality improvement in public health is increasingly widespread, but there are still limited examples of success or descriptions of developmental trajectories for building CQI capacity. The goal of this article is to add to the extant knowledge on the topic by describing one state's implementation of evidence-based CQI in the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program between 2014 and 2019. On the basis of a systematic review of Annual Yearly Progress reports and semistructured key informant interviews, analysis yielded 3 themes that facilitated successful implementation of CQI in Alabama: starting small and building capacity; engaging in continuous and supported learning; and establishing and maintaining a culture of quality. This project demonstrates that CQI can help public health practitioners refine processes and grow capacity to best serve clients' diverse needs.

Negative Correlation Between Health Care Coverage and Postpartum Depression Among Hispanic Women.

Postpartum depression(PPD) affects women across all races with serious health consequences for mothers and infants. Maternal factors may increase PPD risk, but research in exclusive Hispanic populations is limited. This secondary analysis evaluated the associations between maternal sociodemographic characteristics and reliable decrease in depressive symptoms in Hispanic women between prenatal study enrollment and 2 months postpartum. Data from all women (n = 178) who completed a randomized control trial assessing the efficacy of a home-visitation program were included. Most women were from Mexico (66.9%), had incomes <$10,000/year (68.5%), had health insurance (58.4%), and intended to breastfeed (84.2%). Few women had high school education/graduate equivalency degree (19.3%) or a health care provider (2.3%). Using multivariate logistic regression and controlling for baseline Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Score, gestational age at enrollment, and group assignment, health care coverage (OR = 4.04, 95% CI 1.27, 12.76, p = 0.017) increased the likelihood of a decrease in level of depressive symptoms at 2 months postpartum. Acculturation, breastfeeding behaviors, and age were not associated with change in depressive symptoms. Results increase our understanding of variability of depressive symptoms in Hispanic women. Having access to health care coverage is critical. Findings provide guidance for culturally competent interventions and policies.

Using a Developmental Approach to Evaluation Capacity Building in Home Visiting.

The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program, administered by the Health Resources and Service Administration in collaboration with the Administration for Children and Families, provides evidence-based home visiting services across 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories. MIECHV invests in comprehensive technical assistance (TA) to support and build the capacity of awardees to conduct rigorous evaluations of their programs. Throughout the course of the evaluation process, awardees received TA from the Design Options for Home Visiting Evaluation project. Between 2011 and 2020, over 173 state-led evaluations have been conducted. Individual technical assistance (TA) modalities included conference calls, emails, interactive and individualized webinars, developing and sharing resources, and involvement of content experts. When issues and challenges were identified across multiple awardees, Design Options for Home Visiting Evaluation (DOHVE) delivered targeted group TA to awardees with common needs that may benefit from peer-to-peer learning. When cross-cutting issues and challenges were identified, DOHVE used universal approaches such as webinars and guidance documents that were made available to all awardees.Through the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program, efforts have been taken to promote awardee capacity by targeting all phases of the evaluation process, including planning, implementing, and disseminating findings and providing TA that is responsive and tailored to meet awardee-specific needs. This approach enabled DOHVE to support MIECHV awardees in expanding knowledge of their programs and the evidence base on home visiting. Lessons learned from TA provision highlight the importance of developing feasible plans and providing ongoing support during implementation.

An Extended Home Visit Programme Within the Swedish Child Healthcare System for First-Time Parents in Scania, Sweden: A Study Protocol.

Background: The Swedish Child Healthcare (CHC) system aims to provide equal and fair health care for all children and families in Sweden. Currently in Sweden, the CHC offers every family two home visits during the child's 1st year of life. During 2019, an extended home visit programme, called Grow Safely, was started in the region of Scania for first-time parents. The aim of the extended home visit programme was to provide support for first-time parents in order to improve the overall health of the child and family and contribute to better conditions for equal health. Instead of two home visits during the 1st year, a subsample of first-time parents would receive six visits during the child's first 15 months. These six visits would be conducted by CHC nurses and social workers, midwives, and dental assistants. In the present paper, we describe a research project related to the regional extended home visit programme; the project aims to illuminate the experiences of the participants and to investigate the perceived benefits of the programme in relation to improved health, social and emotional interaction between parent and child, and attitudes toward authorities and surrounding society.Method/Analysis: In order to evaluate the introduction of the intervention, three qualitative interview studies and one quantitative study with follow-up questionnaires will be conducted. Since the research project also comprises studies focusing on the implementation and expectations of politicians, civil servants, organizational managers, and professionals working within the programme, interviews within these fields will be conducted.Discussion: Sweden has a well-established CHC programme, but improvements are always possible. Previous research has shown that home visits are an effective tool to improve both the child's physical and mental health as well as the parents' well-being. However, this kind of intervention involves a significant investment from all organizations involved in the home visits; hence, it is important that the intervention is evaluated. The research project described in the present paper intends to examine the impact of the intervention, and its findings will aid decisionmakers in determining the future of the home visit programme.

Native Youth Participating in the Together on Diabetes 12-Month Home-Visiting Program Reported Improvements in Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010 Diet Quality Domains Likely to Be Associated With Blood Pressure and Glycemic Control

BackgroundThe Together on Diabetes (TOD) intervention was a home-visiting diabetes prevention and management program for Native youth. Objectives(1) Examine the impact of the TOD program on diet quality using the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI-2010); (2) determine association between diet quality and cardiometabolic health. DesignThe TOD program was conducted from October 2012 to June 2014 and was evaluated using a pretest-posttest study design from baseline to 12 months. Dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. Participants/settingThere were 240 participants between 10 and 19 years of age from 4 reservation-based, rural tribal communities in the southwestern United States that had been diagnosed with T2DM or prediabetes or were identified as at risk based on body mass index and a qualifying laboratory test. InterventionYouth were taught a 12-lesson curriculum on goal setting, nutrition, and life skills education. Main outcome measuresBehavioral and physiologic outcomes related to diabetes. Statistical analysisChanges in AHEI-2010 score and associations with cardiometabolic measures were tested, over time, using adjusted longitudinal linear mixed-effects models. ResultsThe study sample reported an average energy intake of 2016 kcal/d (±1260) and AHEI-2010 score of 47.4 (±7.4) (range: 0-110, higher = better diet quality), indicating low diet quality at baseline. At 12 months’ follow-up, there was a reduction in kilocalories (mean = −346 kcal/d; P < .001), sugar-sweetened beverages (mean = −2 fluid oz/d; P = .032), red/processed meat (mean = −1.5 oz/d; P = .008), and sodium (mean = −650 mg/d; P < .001) but no change in AHEI-2010 score (P = .600). The change in systolic blood pressure from baseline to 12 months for participants within the highest AHEI-2010 quartile group was significantly larger than the change in participants within the lowest quartile group (mean = −5.90 mm Hg; P = .036). ConclusionsDespite stable AHEI-2010 scores during follow-up, there were improvements in diet quality domains likely to be associated with cardiometabolic health. Home-visiting programs like TOD are promising interventions for decreasing dietary intake of poor-quality foods.

Realizing the Potential of Nurse Home Visiting.

* Abbreviation: NHV — : nurse home visiting In this issue of Pediatrics , Goldfeld et al1 report maternal mental health outcomes after 3 years of follow-up from a randomized controlled trial of right@home, a nurse home visiting (NHV) program in Australia. The trial enrolled 722 pregnant women experiencing ≥2 risk factors for adversity, such as young age, limited social support, low income, and low educational attainment, and randomly assigned them to right@home (25 nurse home visits beginning antenatally) or usual care. After 2 years (when primary outcomes were to be collected), right@home produced benefits in parent care, parent responsivity, and home learning environment.2 In the current study, the authors followed participant families to 3 years and compared maternal mental health outcomes across 255 right@home women and 240 controls. In this analysis, right@home mothers reported better mental health according to the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, with effect sizes of 0.25 (95% confidence interval: 0.08–0.32) for depression and 0.20 (95% confidence interval: 0.05–0.30) for anxiety.1 Methodologically, the study has significant strengths, most notably, a rigorous multisite design. The results, however, should be interpreted with caution, the primary reason being that the maternal mental health outcomes at 3 years do not appear to … Address correspondence to Kelsey A. Egan, MD, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center, 801 Albany St, Boston, MA 02119. E-mail: kelsey.egan{at}bmc.org

Infant Mother’s Experiences with the Sustained Nurse Home-Visiting Program

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of mothers of infants who received sustained nurse home visiting services. The program of sustained home visit by nurses (Seoul Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-Visiting Program) is an intervention program. Its effectiveness has been verified in Australia, where services are provided to families in a vulnerable families during the period from prenatal period until the newborn is 2 years old.Methods: The study protocol used qualitative approaches. Eleven mothers of infants who received nursing services in December 2015 were invited for an in-depth interview. The data collected were subjected to directed content analysis.Results: The following 4 themes were identified from the analysis: (1) reduction in suspicion and increased feeling of benefit from the visiting service, (2) emotional support to the parents and use of community resources, (3) reliance on friendly nurses, and (4) gaining confidence about parenting and motherhood.Conclusion: Sustained nursing home visiting services can be applied effectively in South Korea. The concrete narrations and descriptions of the experiences of mothers in this study can be used as a base for education, practice, and research.

Protecting the American Dream: a Pediatric Imperative.

* Abbreviations: AAP — : American Academy of Pediatrics VVN — : Vital Village Network The American dream is a fundamental ethos of the nation passed from generation to generation. In 1931, James Truslow Adams coined the term as “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone.” Most Americans across all incomes still believe their children and grandchildren will achieve the American dream.1 Yet, in reality, it is out of most children’s reach. The American dream is intrinsically tied to the capacity for upward mobility, whereby children can grow up to surpass their parent’s income level. The groundbreaking work of Harvard Professor of Public Economics Dr Raj Chetty reveals that there is less upward mobility in the United States today than at any other time, likely because of lower overall economic growth and greater inequality in its distribution. Specifically, Chetty et al2 found that, since 1940, the fraction of children who earn more than their parents has fallen from >90% to ∼50%. However, the decline in the American dream is not equally distributed across the United States. Chetty et al3 has revealed great variation in upward mobility, with significant differences even among neighborhoods within the same city. Higher–upward-mobility areas are associated with less residential segregation and income inequality and greater … Address correspondence to Arvin Garg, MD, MPH, Department of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655. E-mail: Arvin.Garg{at}umassmemorial.org

Systematic review: An exploration of core componentry characterizing effective sustained nurse home visiting programs.

To identify the core components or potential 'active ingredients' of sustained nurse home visiting (SNHV) programs that have demonstrated positive effects on maternal or child health, psychosocial development, or self-sufficiency outcomes among disadvantaged families in high-income countries. Systematic review with narrative summary. Programs were identified from searches of several reputable evidence clearing houses and the following bibliographic databases: Medline, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsycINFO, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Year of publication was originally restricted from 2008 -2018, with additional searches conducted up to 2019. This review of SNHV program componentry builds on a previous evaluation of program effectiveness. Programs were selected for inclusion if they had been tested in a randomized or cluster-randomized controlled trial (RCT/CRCT). Componentry characteristics related to program delivery, nurse provider, and outcome-specific intervention content were then extracted. Comparison of the seven eligible programs showed seven common core components: antenatal commencement, support to child age 2years, at least 19 scheduled visits and experienced or highly qualified nurses with program-specific training, caseloads of approximately 25 families, regular supervision, and multidisciplinary supports. Outcome-specific program content was generally not well reported. The findings from this review have utility in guiding the development of minimum standard benchmarks and best-practice recommendations for SNHV programs and call for more detailed publication of core content componentry in the SNHV literature. Identification of the core componentry underpinning program effectiveness should inform policy decisions on program selection, adaptation for specific populations, and quality control. Such evidence-based decision-making should in turn lead to better maternal and child outcomes among disadvantaged families in high-income countries, reducing societal and economic burdens of inequity.

Nurse Home Visiting and Maternal Mental Health: 3-Year Follow-Up of a Randomized Trial.

Poor mental health is recognized as one of the greatest global burdens of disease. Maternal mental health is crucial for the optimal health of mothers and their children. We examined the effects of an Australian Nurse Home Visiting (NHV) program (right@home), offered to pregnant women experiencing adversity, on maternal mental health and well-being at child age 3 years. A randomized controlled trial of NHV delivered via universal child and family health services (2013-2016). Pregnant women experiencing adversity (≥2 of 10 risk factors) were recruited from 10 antenatal clinics across 2 states. Intervention comprised 25 home visits until child age 2 years. The outcomes assessed 1-year postintervention completion were maternal self-report of mental health symptoms (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales) and positive aspects of mental health (personal well-being and self-efficacy). Of the 722 women enrolled in the trial, 255 of 363 (70%) intervention and 240 of 359 (67%) control group women provided data at 3 years. Compared with controls, the intervention group reported better mental health (reverse Depression Anxiety Stress Scales scores): effect sizes of 0.25 (depression; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.08 to 0.32), 0.20 (anxiety; 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.30), 0.17 (stress; 95% CI: 0.09 to 0.37), and 0.23 (total score; 95% CI: 0.12 to 0.38); 0.16 (95% CI: 0.04 to 0.29) for personal well-being; and an odds ratio of 1.60 (95% CI: 1.19 to 2.16) for self-efficacy. An NHV designed to support mothers experiencing adversity can lead to later maternal mental health benefits, even after the program ends.

Does physical performance and muscle strength predict future personal and nursing care services in community-dwelling older adults aged 75+?

The objective of this study was to investigate if grip strength or the short physical performance battery could predict the rate of receiving two different types of home care services: (a) personal care and (b) home nursing care for community-dwelling older adults aged 75+ years. A secondary data analysis of a prospective cohort study including 323 community-dwelling older adults. Measures of grip strength and the short physical performance battery were incorporated in a nationally regulated preventive home visit programme. Referral to personal and home nursing care were obtained from an administrative database with an average follow-up of 4.1 years. The rate of receiving the individual home care services and the study measures were determined using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models controlling for a priori selected covariates (age, sex, living status, obesity, smoking and prior use of home care). The mean age was 81.7 years with 58.8% being women. The rate of receiving personal care differed between the short physical performance battery groups but not between the grip strength groups after adjusting for all covariates with hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) of 1.90 (1.29-2.81) and 1.41 (0.95-2.08), respectively. The rate of receiving home nursing care differed between both the short physical performance battery and grip strength groups after adjusting for all covariates with hazard ratios of 2.03 (1.41-2.94) and 1.48 (1.01-2.16), respectively. The short physical performance battery was associated with the rate of receiving both personal care and home nursing care. The short physical performance battery can be used to predict home care needs of community-dwelling older adults aged 75+ years.