PRAMS is the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. It is a joint research project between the state, territorial, or local health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Reproductive Health. The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) was developed in 1987 to reduce infant morbidity and mortality by influencing maternal behaviors before, during, and immediately after pregnancy. It is the only surveillance system that provides data about pregnancy and the first few months after birth.
PRAMS is an ongoing, site-specific, population-based surveillance system designed to identify groups of women and infants at high risk for health problems, to monitor changes in health status, and to measure progress towards goals in improving the health of mothers and infants.
Why is it important?
PRAMS offers a vast amount of information that allows us to do the following:
- Provide data for state, territorial or local health officials to use to improve the health of mothers and infants
- Allows CDC and the states, territories and localities to monitor changes in maternal and child health indicators (e.g., unintended pregnancy, prenatal care, breastfeeding, smoking, drinking, infant health).
- Enhances information from birth certificates and is used to plan and review maternal and infant health programs in the states, territories, or localities.
- Findings can be applied to the site's entire population of women who have recently delivered a live-born infant.
- By providing site-specific data, PRAMS allows comparisons among participating sites because the same data collection methods are used in all sites.
How is the data utilized?
PRAMS provides representative data not available from other sources about pregnancy and the first few months after birth. These data can be used to identify groups of women and infants at high risk for health problems, to monitor changes in health status, and to measure progress towards goals in improving the health of mothers and infants.
- Helps to investigate emerging issues in the field of maternal and child health
- Help to plan and review programs and policies aimed at reducing health problems among mothers and infants.
- Helps identify other agencies that have important contributions to make in planning maternal and infant health programs and can help develop partnerships with those agencies.
What does PRAMS do with questionnaire information?
The information collected from the mothers is used to develop health programs and policies; help doctors and nurses improve care; and make better use of health resources.
Is it important to answer the questions from this survey? Yes. The small number of mothers selected means it is important to have everyone's answers. Every pregnancy is different. To get a better overall picture of the health of mothers and infants, we need each mother selected to answer the questions. From the information you give us, we may be able to improve health care for women and children in your state, jurisdiction, or locality.
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