Child development and home visits in early childhood: concept map

Abstract

Objective

To identify and analyze the scientific evidence on home visits (HV) to children under six years of age, from the perspective of promoting health and early childhood development.

Methods

This is an integrative literature review, in the Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed and PsycINFO databases. Quantitative, qualitative and mixed method original scientific studies, published between 2016 and 2019, in Portuguese and English, central focus of HV in early childhood, were included, and review studies, theses, dissertations, books and book chapters, abstracts and editorials were excluded published. Data analysis based on the concept map strategy in a spider’s web, with an integrative synthesis of 19 selected studies.

Results

Scientific evidence shows the importance of the HV strategy in early childhood, with characteristics of the actions offered in this approach. The contents and approaches of HV were identified as creating favorable conditions to portray themes, situations and needs of early childhood, essential to health vitality and encourage good development in the first years of life.

Conclusion

The integrative synthesis identified that HV is a valuable strategy for early childhood, indicating the benefits to child development and their caregivers to promote health and prevent injuries. The conceptual map developed suggests a range of relevant elements that qualify HV in early childhood with contributions to comprehensive child health care and good parenting practices.

Child development; House calls; Health advocacy; Child; Child development