The study “Evaluation of an Intervention for Using the Child Health Record (Caderneta da Criança) to Monitor Child Development in Selected Municipalities” aims to assess an intervention model focused on child development (CD) monitoring by primary health care (PHC) professionals, using the milestones proposed in the Caderneta da Criança (Child Health Record).

This implementation study, which employs mixed methods, is structured into four phases:

1️⃣ Phase 1: Development of the Theoretical Framework

This phase involved conducting a scoping review on the use of the Caderneta da Criança in Brazil. The review, titled “Studies on the Child Health Record in Brazil: A Scoping Review,” was published in the Revista de Saúde Pública and can be accessed here.

2️⃣ Phase 2: Exploratory Study

This phase included interviews with healthcare managers and data collection on how care for children aged 0–3 years is organized in Basic Health Units (Unidades Básicas de Saúde, UBS). These findings supported the development of the intervention. The data has been analyzed, and a related article is currently under preparation.



3️⃣ Phase 3: Explanatory Study

In this phase, healthcare professionals were trained in child development monitoring and documentation using PHC information systems in two municipalities in São Paulo state. The intervention consisted of a series of training and awareness sessions, delivered both in person (8 hours) and online (12 hours).

4️⃣ Phase 4: Evaluation Study

This phase will evaluate the intervention's effectiveness using a cluster-randomized trial. Selected outcomes from the RE-AIM framework (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) will be analyzed qualitatively post-intervention. The effectiveness will be assessed by comparing the outcomes "child development milestone evaluations" and "guidance provided to families on child development" before and after the intervention. Multivariate analysis techniques, including Poisson regression models with robust variance, will be applied, accounting for the sample design. Qualitative data will be systematically analyzed and presented according to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ).

Future stages are still under development—stay tuned for updates!

For more details on the progress of this research, please check our annual reports.