Facilitators and Barriers in Cross-Country Transport of Evidence-based Preventive Interventions: a Case Study Using the Family Check-Up.

This study is a qualitative analysis of facilitators and barriers in the dissemination of Family Check-Up (FCU), a U.S.-developed preventive intervention in Sweden. The FCU is inherently culturally flexible because it was designed to be tailored to each family's needs and context, including cultural norms and values. We present the FCU implementation framework (IF) as a conceptual framework for cross-country transport of the FCU and evidence-based programs (EBP) more generally. The FCU IF draws from implementation science literature and involves specifying barriers and facilitators related to implementation drivers (e.g., competency) at each implementation phase and applying these data to inform phase-specific, readiness-building activities for each driver. In addition to driver-related influences, barriers and facilitators specific to the FCU and the collaborative partnership between the U.S. and Swedish purveyors emerged in the data. The partnership's reliance on a hybrid bottom-up, top-down approach that balanced the Swedish purveyor's autonomy and cultural expertise with guidance from the U.S. purveyor facilitated adaptation of the FCU for Sweden. Relying on previously collected data, we also explored similarities and differences in barriers and facilitators to FCU scale-up in the United States versus Sweden. In general, across drivers, the same barriers and facilitators were salient. This study suggests that dissemination of culturally flexible EBPs guided by a dynamic implementation framework can facilitate cross-country transport of EBPs. This study promotes a culture of prevention by highlighting barriers, facilitators, and readiness-building strategies that influence the cross-cultural transportability of EBPs that prevent the onset and escalation of child problem behavior.

The Family Check-Up in early childhood: a case study of intervention process and change.

This article describes a case study in the use of the Family Check-Up (FCU), a family-based and ecological preventive intervention for children at risk for problem behavior. The FCU is an assessment-driven intervention that utilizes a health maintenance model; emphasizes motivation for change; and offers an adaptive, tailored approach to intervention. This case study follows one Caucasian family through their initial assessment and subsequent treatment for their toddler daughter's conduct problems over a 2-year period. Clinically meaningful improvements in child and family functioning were found despite the presence of child, parent, and neighborhood risk factors. The case is discussed with respect to the findings from a current multisite randomized control trial of the FCU and its application to other populations.

Safety of growth hormone treatment in pediatric patients with idiopathic short stature.

CONTEXT: Recombinant human GH was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 2003 for the treatment of idiopathic short stature (ISS). However, to date, the safety of GH in this patient population has not been rigorously studied. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to address the safety of GH treatment in children with ISS compared with GH safety in patient populations for which GH has been approved previously: Turner syndrome (TS) and GH deficiency (GHD). DESIGN/SETTING: The rates of serious adverse events (SAEs) and adverse events (AEs) of particular relevance to GH-treated populations were compared across the three patient populations among five multicenter GH registration studies. PATIENTS: Children with ISS, TS, or GHD were studied. INTERVENTION: Treatment consisted of GH doses ranging from 0.18-0.37 mg/kg.wk. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome measures were rates of SAEs and AEs of special relevance to patients receiving GH. Laboratory measures of carbohydrate metabolism were used as outcome measures for the ISS studies. RESULTS: Within the ISS studies, comprising one double-blind, placebo-controlled study and one open-label, dose-response study, SAEs (mainly hospitalizations for accidental injury or acute illness unrelated to GH exposure) were reported for 13-14% of GH-treated patients. Overall AE rates (serious and nonserious) as well as rates of potentially GH-related AEs were similar in the GHD, TS, and ISS studies (for ISS studies combined: otitis media, 8%; scoliosis, 3%; hypothyroidism, 0.7%; changes in carbohydrate metabolism, 0.7%; hypertension, 0.4%). Measures of carbohydrate metabolism were not affected by GH treatment in patients with ISS. There was no significant GH effect on fasting blood glucose in either study (GH dose range, 0.22-0.37 mg/kg.wk) or on insulin sensitivity (placebo-controlled study only). CONCLUSION: GH appears safe in ISS; however, the studies were not powered to assess the frequency of rare GH-related events, and longer-term follow-up studies of GH-treated patients with ISS are warranted.