**SayPro Evidence on the Long-Term Effects of Home Visiting Programs: Laying the Groundwork for Long-Term Follow-Up in the Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation (MIHOPE)

Home visiting programs are a great way to empower families, improve health outcomes and build strong relationships. But what do they really do over the long term?

Studies have found that even after 20 years of follow-up, home visiting services can yield lasting improvements in family functioning and child development. SayPro has contributed to this field by helping MIHOPE lay the groundwork for long-term follow-up by evaluating the effects of home visiting programs on mother and infant health. The MIHOPE project is an ongoing study examining the impacts of a mother and infant home visiting program on health outcomes from pregnancy through infancy. As part of this evaluation, SayPro has been collecting data on mothers and their children since 1999. Now in its fourth decade, SayPro is committed to understanding how programs like MIHOPE can make a lasting impact on communities.

Evidence is mounting that long-term effects of home visiting programs are possible. Earlier this month, results were released from the MIHOPE study, a 12-year follow-up of mothers and infants who participated in the Home Visiting Program for Mothers and Babies (HVPM&B).

The MIHOPE study has laid the groundwork for understanding how these programs work in real life and what their long-term effects may be. In addition, it exposes flaws in the way we evaluate health care programs – including those to promote maternal and child wellbeing.

If we want them to last, we must lay the groundwork now.

When you hear the word ‘home visiting’, what comes to mind? For some, it is the image of a married couple in their underwear laying on a couch as they talk about their day. For others, it is of an unmarried pregnant woman looking after her 8-year-old son while going through depression. And yet for some, it is of a mother taking care of her premature infant.

In the MIHOPE study, we’re collecting data from mothers who’ve received home visiting services from a health care provider over an 18-month period. We call this long-term follow-up because these moms and babies are being followed for years to see how their health and development change over time. Some questions we’re asking include whether they have any postpartum issues or if they’re having trouble with breastfeeding or maintaining a healthy weight.