Participation in a parent education programme in the Dominican Republic: utilization and barriers.

There has been a limited assessment of the extent of participation in parent education programmes and the factors influencing attendance. This is particularly the case for low- and middle-income countries. Experiences with an eight-session education programme offered to caregivers of malnourished children in the Dominican Republic were examined. Overall, 57% of a total of 143 caregivers completed more than half of the programme. This value increased from 41% to 79% following a midstream change in service delivery, which entailed concentrating the programme into a shorter period of time and pairing it with a more intensive child nutrition component. Other hypothesized variables did not predict attendance. Key barriers to attendance identified in qualitative interviews included lack of money for transportation, lack of an acceptable babysitter for other children and competing demands on the caregivers' time. Efforts to eliminate caregiver identified barriers may improve participation levels.