Q: What is PRAMS?
Answer: The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) is a joint project of the Arkansas Department of Health – Center for Health Statistics and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Developed by CDC, PRAMS is an ongoing, state-and population-based survey designed to collect information on self-reported maternal behaviors and experiences that occur before, during, and shortly after pregnancy among women who deliver a live-born infant. A questionnaire is mailed to a sample of mothers that is randomly selected from state birth certificate records. Responses are accumulated during the calendar year, combined with birth certificate data, and then weighted to be representative of all mothers who had a live-born infant in the state. Participation in the survey is entirely voluntary.
Q: Why does PRAMS exist?
Answer: PRAMS was initiated in 1987 because infant mortality rates were no longer declining as rapidly as they had in prior years. In addition, the incidence of low birth weight infants had changed little in the previous 20 years. Research has indicated that maternal behaviors during pregnancy may influence infant birth weight and mortality rates. The goal of the PRAMS project is to improve the health of mothers and infants by reducing adverse outcomes such as low birth weight, infant mortality and morbidity, and maternal morbidity. PRAMS provides state-specific data for planning and assessing health programs and for describing maternal experiences that may contribute to maternal and infant health.
Q: Why is PRAMS important?
Answer: PRAMS provides data for the Arkansas Department of Health to use to improve the health of mothers and infants. PRAMS allows CDC and the Arkansas Department of Health to monitor changes in maternal and child health indicators (e.g., unintended pregnancy, prenatal care, breast-feeding, smoking, drinking, infant health). PRAMS enhances information from birth certificates used to plan and review maternal and infant health programs in Arkansas.
The PRAMS sample is chosen from all women who had a live birth recently, so findings can be applied to Arkansas’ entire population of women who have recently delivered a liveborn infant. PRAMS not only provides Arkansas-specific data but also allows comparisons among other participating states because the same data collection methods are used in all states.
Q: How is PRAMS data used?
Answer: PRAMS provides 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. PRAMS data are used by the Arkansas Department of Health to plan and review programs and policies aimed at reducing health problems among mothers and babies. The data are used to work with other state agencies that have important contributions to make in planning maternal and infant health programs and to develop partnerships with those agencies.
PRAMS Questionnaire
The PRAMS questionnaire includes core questions that are asked by all the states and Arkansas-specific questions that are chosen or developed by individual states. The core portion of the questionnaire includes questions about the following:
- Attitudes and feelings about the most recent pregnancy
- Content and source of prenatal care
- Maternal alcohol and tobacco consumption
- Physical abuse before and during pregnancy
- Pregnancy-related morbidity
- Infant health care
- Maternal living conditions
- Mother's knowledge of pregnancy-related health issues, such as adverse effects of tobacco and alcohol; benefits of folic acid; and risks of HIV
All documents are in PDF format unless otherwise noted.
| Downloads |
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| Arkansas PRAMS Updates |
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| Pregnant Women and Oral Health, 2007 - July 2009 |
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| Breastfeeding in Arkansas by Race/Ethnicity, 2005-2006 - May 2009 |
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| Racial/Ethnic Differences in Factors Associated With Infant Sleep Position: Arkansas, 2000-2005 - January 2009 |
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| Unintended Pregnancy and the Risk of Preterm Delivery in Arkansas, 1998-2005 - May 2008 |
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| Disparities in Low Birthweight Babies Born to Black and White Women, 1998-2005 - Summer 2007 |
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Arkansas PRAMS Reports |
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| Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Arkansas Women Who Had Live Births: PRAMS, 2006–2010 – October 2012 |
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| Barriers to Quitting Smoking, 2009 - July 2011 |
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| Pregnant Women and Smoking in Arkansas, 2004-2008 - October 2010 |
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| Mother's Knowledge and Use of Folic Acid in Arkansas, 2006-2008 - July 2010 |
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| Unintended Pregnancies in Arkansas, 2005-2007 - April 2010 |
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| Pregnant Women and Oral Health, 2007 - July 2009 |
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| Breastfeeding in Arkansas, 2005-2006 - May 2009 |
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PRAMS Annual Reports |
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| Survey for Births in 2000 |
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| Survey for Births in 1997 |
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Mobidity and Mortality Weekly Report |
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| 2007 |
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Special Reports |
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| Issue Brief – Flu Shots for Women During and After Pregnancy: Information about Arkansas Women – October 2011 |
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Query System
- CPONDER – PRAMS Query System