DP21-001 Delaware PRAMS (Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System) Project

Component A, Delaware PRAMS (Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System) Project Project Abstract Delaware PRAMS 2021 Project Summary/Abstract PRAMS (Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System) is a federally funded, state- specific, population-based surveillance system designed to identify and monitor selected maternal behaviors and experiences before, during, and after pregnancy. The purpose of the project is to enable public health programs to target specific maternal and child health populations for improved health outcomes. For children this would be a reduction in infant morbidity and mortality rates, which for Delaware are above the national average. States have used the PRAMS surveillance data for program planning and evaluation, and changing public health practice and public health policy for state maternal and child health programs. The high quality of the PRAMS data enables states to more efficiently develop and evaluate existing programs such as Newborn Screening, SUID awareness, and the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant (Title V). PRAMS also provides a system to monitor the state’s progress towards achieving the Healthy People 2020 goal of reducing infant and maternal morbidities and mortality. The PRAMS project funds implementation of a state-wide surveillance system of women of childbearing age. Surveillance includes analysis of women’s behaviors, practices, and experiences during pregnancy, childbirth, and two to six months post-partum. A random, stratified sample of women at least two months post-partum is selected annually for inclusion in the project. The sampled participants are surveyed to assess behaviors, practices, and experiences. Descriptive and analytic statistics will provide information on the highest risk populations in the state, including minorities and women who deliver a low birth weight baby. Focusing on these groups will enable DPH to better target existing programs in Maternal and Child Health. Targeting programs at high-risk populations will impact the rate of morbidity and mortality among women and infants born in the state.