Family Support and the Health of Children

This paper examines the relationship between family support and the health of children. The impact of the decline in the structural support for child rearing is considered first, followed by an examination of the health effects of support provided in home visitation programmes. Finally, the health and welfare effects of the provision of day-care services for children are considered. Because the validity of evidence from properly conducted randomised controlled trials is more readily assured than with other study designs, particular emphasis has been given to the results of experimental evaluations.