EEPP: Conclusions, Implications and Future Directions

Abstract

Early childhood is an important time for the promotion of healthy development and the prevention of mental disorders in adult life. In the context of the need to understand and design universally accessible promotional and preventative services for children, the European Early Promotion Project (EEPP) was developed as an innovative service implemented and evaluated in five European countries. Previous chapters in this special issue have detailed the components of the project, its outcomes for the primary health care professionals (PHCPs) and the families who were involved, and an evaluation of the costs. Here we draw together the major findings, assess the success of the project and discuss its contribution to the field of primary prevention.

Keywords:

• home based intervention
• primary prevention
• parent-helper relationship
• sustainability of intervention
• dissemination
• community needs
• policy making