Strong Fathers, Stronger Families Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Program Evaluation

September 11, 2025 updated by: Midwest Evaluation & Research

Strong Fathers, Stronger Families Program Evaluation

The purpose of this descriptive study is to explore whether there is an association between participation in the Strong Fathers, Stronger Families program and improvements in outcomes related to parenting, co-parenting, and economic stability. Participants are surveyed at program entry and program exit, and changes in participant attitudes are assessed over time.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This study is a descriptive evaluation of the Strong Fathers, Stronger Families program offered to fathers in the Memphis metropolitan area. Program participants are informed about the study and asked to provide consent to participate in the evaluation of the ten-week program. Consenting participants complete surveys at program enrollment and program exit, and survey data is used to determine if program participation is associated with short-term changes in attitudes and behaviors among participants. Changes in parenting, co-parenting, and economic stability outcomes are assessed by comparing survey answers before and after participating in 40 hours of the Blueprint and 24/7 Dad curricula.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
996

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Tennessee
      • Memphis, Tennessee, United States, 38117
        • Seedco-Midsouth

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adult (age 18 and older)
  • With children ages 0-24
  • Father/father figure
  • Reside in Memphis metropolitan area

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Minor (under the age of 18)
  • Not a father/father figure
  • Children older than 24 years old
  • Reside outside of Memphis metropolitan area

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Primary Services
Primary Services Participants receive 40 hours of the Blueprint and 24/7 Dad curricula over the course of ten weeks.
Other: Primary Services
Participants receive 40 hours of the Blueprint and 24/7 Dad curricula over the course of ten weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
1) Healthy Parenting Behaviors Measurement #1
Time Frame: change from baseline in parenting behaviors (interactions with child) from enrollment to program exit (10 weeks).

Will participants report significantly healthier parenting behavior at program exit, as compared to responses at baseline?

Items measured include:

Parenting behavior measured with:

13 items depending on child age - frequency of key behaviors with participant's youngest child (categorical, 5-point scale)

Measured on the parenting behavior scale #1 as:

1 = never, 2 = 1 to 2 days per month, 3 = 3 or 4 days per month, 4 = 2 or 3 days per week, 5 = every day or almost every day

The higher the rating, the better the score.

The construct is created by adding all scores together and dividing by 13. The higher the score on a scale of 1-5, the better the outcome. The lower the score, the worse the outcome.

maximum score: 5.0, minimum score: 1.0
change from baseline in parenting behaviors (interactions with child) from enrollment to program exit (10 weeks).
2) Healthy Co-parenting Behaviors Measurement #1
Time Frame: change from baseline in co-parenting behaviors (interactions with co-parent) from enrollment to program exit (10 weeks).

Will participants report significantly healthier co-parenting behavior at program exit, as compared to responses at baseline?

Items measured include:

5 items: frequency of agreement with key co-parenting behaviors (categorical, 5-point scale)

Measured on the co-parenting behavior scale #1 as:

1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = agree, 5 = strongly agree

The construct is created by adding all scores together and dividing by 11. The higher the score on a scale of 1-5, the better the outcome. The lower the score, the worse the outcome.

maximum score: 5.0, minimum score: 1.0
change from baseline in co-parenting behaviors (interactions with co-parent) from enrollment to program exit (10 weeks).
3) Economic Stability Measurement #1
Time Frame: change from baseline in economic stability from enrollment to program exit (10 weeks).

Will participants report significantly healthier economic stability at program exit, as compared to responses at baseline?

Items measured include:

1 items: yes or no questions for have checking/savings account (dichotomous)

1=yes, 0=no
change from baseline in economic stability from enrollment to program exit (10 weeks).
4) Economic Stability Measurement #2
Time Frame: change from baseline in economic stability from enrollment to program exit (10 weeks).

Will participants report significantly healthier economic stability at program exit, as compared to responses at baseline?

Items measured include:

1 item: frequency of difficulty paying bills (categorical, 4-point scale)

Measured on the economic stability scale #1 as:

1 = never, 2 = once in a while, 3 = somewhat often, 4 = very often The lower the score, the better the outcome.
change from baseline in economic stability from enrollment to program exit (10 weeks).

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Midwest Evaluation & Research

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Seedco: Strong Fathers, Stronger Families

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Matt D Shepherd, PhD, Midwest Evaluation and Research

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
April 1, 2021

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 15, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 29, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 21, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 26, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 2, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
October 1, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 11, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • #2021/03/41

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

All participant data will be confidential and aggregated. No individual participant data will be released unless requested by the courts. This study looks at data as a whole.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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