Title: New Hampshire Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System - Category A (New State) PI: Marie Kiely, MS Organization: New Hampshire Division of Public Health Services The overall goal of the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) is to reduce infant morbidity and mortality and to promote maternal health by influencing maternal and child health programs, policies, and maternal behaviors during pregnancy and early infancy. The information from PRAMS may lead to improvement in the health of mothers and infants in New Hampshire. The objectives of PRAMS are: (1) To collect population-based data of high scientific quality on topics relating to pregnancy and early infancy; (2) To conduct data analyses in order to increase understanding of maternal behaviors and experiences during pregnancy and early infancy, and their relationship to health outcomes; (3) To translate results from analyses into useable information for planning and evaluation of public health programs and policy; and, (4) To build state capacity for collecting, analyzing, and translating data to address relevant maternal and infant health issues. The objectives will be accomplished by activities such as, but not limited to: (1) identifying data items or topics not available from other sources that address maternal and child health (MCH) issues; (2) describing maternal behaviors, attitudes, and experiences during pregnancy and early infancy; (3) influencing public health policy by working with policy makers to incorporate findings into the decision-making process; and, (4) committing state staff and resources to develop expertise in the skills required to conduct surveillance. These examples of activities correspond to numbered objectives above. These goals, objectives, and activities are in accordance with the national PRAMS model protocol (2009). New Hampshire PRAMS staff will follow national PRAMS research methods in the conduct of this surveillance project to produce comparable data. The NH Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health Services, MCH Section conducted a participatory statewide MCH needs assessment in 2010 and established ten priorities that are the focus of efforts to improve public health in NH over the next five years. These priorities include a range of MCH needs such as improving access to children's mental health services, decreasing pediatric overweight and obesity, improving oral health and access to dental care, decreasing the incidence of preterm birth, and other key issues of great importance to the population of NH. The information from PRAMS will fill critical data gaps and inform policies, systems, and programs that address these priorities.
of PRAMS is that an understanding of maternal and child health needs, behaviors and outcomes is critical to the design and implementation of programs and policies to improve health. PRAMS data fill a critical information gap and provide standardized and proven data that are comparable with other PRAMS projects across the United States.
