Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS)
While the United States infant mortality rate is declining, it still remains higher than rates in other developed countries. The low birth weight rate for the nation has increased in recent years to a level higher than that of 15 years ago. Studies indicate that maternal behaviors such as smoking, drug and alcohol abuse, and limited use of prenatal care may be inhibiting further declines in these rates. PRAMS (Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System) is a population-based risk factor surveillance system designed to identify and monitor behaviors and experiences of women before, during, and after pregnancy. Information is collected by surveying a sample of women who have recently given birth. Findings from the PRAMS survey are used to develop and assess perinatal health programs in public and private health care settings.
To help state health departments establish and maintain a surveillance system of selected maternal behaviors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collaborated with several states to initiate PRAMS in 1987. This surveillance system was developed to supplement vital records data and to generate state-specific data about perinatal health. Currently, there are 37 states participating in the PRAMS project. While each state's project is slightly different, data collection procedures and instruments are standardized to permit comparisons of data among the PRAMS states. For more information about PRAMS projects in these states please contact the CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/PRAMS/states.htm
PRAMS in Wyoming
In April of 2006, the Wyoming Department of Health was awarded a grant from CDC to establish PRAMS in Wyoming, and data collection began in the spring of 2007.
PRAMS provides a method for the collection and analysis of perinatal data to better understand low birth weight rates, maternal behaviors, access to prenatal care, pregnancy intendedness, and health care delivery to women and infants in Wyoming. Ultimately, PRAMS data can assist Wyoming in evaluating and improving services to women and infants so that poor pregnancy outcomes can be prevented.
Within state health departments, PRAMS crosses several organizational units. The Wyoming PRAMS Team includes individuals from the Maternal and Family Health section, Community and Public Health Division Epidemiology Section, and the Vital Statistics Service of the Wyoming Department of Health. The Wyoming PRAMS Advisory Committee consists of individuals representing the many agencies and organizations in Wyoming interested in perinatal and infant health issues.
PRAMS Survey Topics
The PRAMS questionnaire is mailed to a sample of Wyoming women who had a live birth infant in the past two to six months. Participants complete the surveys and return them to the health department where all answers are grouped to provide data for the entire state. The core set of questions and the questions developed specifically for Wyoming collect information on many topics, including:
- attitudes and feelings about pregnancy
- prenatal care and barriers to care
- obstetric history
- psychosocial support and stress
- alcohol and tobacco use
- pregnancy-related morbidity
- infant health care
- economic status of the mother
- home safety and injury prevention
- health care coverage during pregnancy and delivery
PRAMS Data Collection and Analysis
Wyoming PRAMS uses a combination of two data collection approaches: statewide mailings of the surveys and telephone follow-up with women who do not return the survey by mail. The written questionnaires and telephone interviews can both be completed in Spanish when necessary. Approximately 140 women in Wyoming will receive the survey each month, with an expected response rate of at least 65 percent.
Data collected from women who gave birth in a given year are generally available for analysis and dissemination by late fall of the following year. Findings from data analyses are distributed to state legislators, professional societies, health care organizations, universities, and other interested persons.
Fact Sheets, Reports, Publications
Gestational Diabetes Fact Sheet; Wyoming, 2009
Flu Issue Brief for Providers
Information about Wyoming PRAMS
The PRAMS Project is funded under grant number 5UR6DP000501-05 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.