DP21-001 Alabama Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS)

Project Summary/Abstract The main objective of the Alabama Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) Project is to provide accurate data to researchers, health care providers, and policymakers in order to ultimately improve the health of Alabama mothers and infants. This objective is in accordance with the Alabama Department of Public Health’s mission to improve the health of all Alabamians. The design and methods of the PRAMS project include drawing a sample from the state birth certificate registry file and sending surveys, according to protocol, to the mothers who are selected. The survey contains information concerning the behaviors and experiences before, during, and shortly after the pregnancy, which is vital to determining Alabama Public Health policy and produces timely, high quality data representative of the jurisdiction’s population to monitor risk factors for maternal and infant health. PRAMS provides state-based data for key maternal and child health indicators that can be tracked over time. The PRAMS team conducts comprehensive analysis of PRAMS data based on a jurisdiction specific analysis plan designed to inform programmatic activities, research, and public health practice. Through various reports, the team translates and disseminates analytic results into useable information for public health action that can guide program development and evaluation, in collaboration with the Alabama PRAMS Steering Committee. PRAMS reports provide state-specific data on maternal behaviors and experiences, to be used for planning and assessing perinatal health programs, and for describing maternal experiences that may contribute to maternal and infant health. The overall goal of PRAMS is to reduce infant morbidity and mortality, and maternal morbidity by influencing maternal behaviors during and immediately after pregnancy.