Publications [#377215] of Kenneth A. Dodge

Journal Articles

1. Bai, Y; Milojevich, H; Dodge, KA; Benjamin Goodman, W; O'Donnell, K (2025). Unique Profiles of Postpartum Family Needs and Evidence of Racial and Ethnic Disparities: Insights from Community Implementation of Family Connects.. Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities, 12(3), 1836-1846. [doi]
   (last updated on 2025/06/16)

   Abstract:
   

   Objectives

   To delineate specific family needs during the postpartum period using data from Family Connects (FC), a universal home-visiting initiative, and to scrutinize potential racial and ethnic disparities in these needs.

   Method

   FC implementation data spanned from July 1, 2009, to August 31, 2021, in seven counties across the USA. Data encompassed nurse-led in-home assessments for 34,119 families. Nurses evaluated needs across four domains (healthcare, parenting/childcare, safe home, and parent support) comprising 12 risk factors.

   Findings

   Overall, families reported high levels of need, and community connections were facilitated for 57% of visited families. Significant differences in need profiles between whites and minority groups were revealed, reflecting both disparity and uniqueness. Employing the Oaxaca decomposition approach, we found that racial/ethnic disparities in socioeconomic attributes were associated with racial/ethnic gaps in the need profiles.

   Conclusions

   The event of giving birth is both high risk and high opportunity for preventive intervention. Home-visiting programs, as an evidence-based approach, must address the diverse spectrum of familial needs comprehensively.