Since 1999, the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) has conducted the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) survey to help improve understanding of maternal behaviors and their relationship to pregnancy outcomes and to develop policies and programs to improve outcomes. Utah's crude birth rate is the highest in the nation, and PRAMS provides essential data that allows UDOH to address health indicators such as rising rates of low birth weight and labor induction. The Utah PRAMS team includes three members with graduate degrees, two of whom with over 10 years on the project, and the entire staff is well qualified to continue this important work. Utah PRAMS enjoys effective cooperation with Utah's Office of Vital Records and Statistics and is valued and supported throughout UDOH. Utah PRAMS builds on well-established procedures, conducts innovative experiments to evaluate and improve response rates, and successfully translates data into action through data dissemination reporting and collaboration on research and policy with UDOH staff and University of Utah faculty.
Utah surveys 5% of mothers of live births to collect state-specific, population-based data on maternal behaviors and experiences before, during, and shortly after pregnancy for the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), a surveillance project of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health departments. Utah PRAMS provides a rich source of data that is used by both researchers and policy makers to improve the health of mothers and infants.
