Using ECHO program data to develop a brief measure of caregiver support and cognitive stimulation using the home observation for measurement of the environment-infant/toddler (HOME-IT)

Child Dev. 2024 Nov-Dec;95(6):2241-2251. doi: 10.1111/cdev.14137. Epub 2024 Jul 30.

Abstract

Data from three NIH Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program cohorts that collected the HOME-Infant-Toddler (HOME-IT age 0-3 years) version were used to examine the reliability of a brief scale of caregiver support and cognitive stimulation. Participants with HOME-IT data (N = 2518) were included in this analysis. Mean child age at HOME-IT assessment was 1.51 years, 48% of children were female, and 43% of children identified as Black. A four-stage analysis plan was used to evaluate item response theory assumptions, item response theory model fit, monotonicity, scalability, item fit, and differential item functioning. Results indicate the feasibility of developing a reliable 10-item scale (reliability >0.7) with particularly high precision for children with lower levels of cognitive stimulation.

MeSH terms

  • Caregivers* / psychology
  • Child Development / physiology
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cognition / physiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Psychometrics / instrumentation
  • Psychometrics / standards
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Social Support