North Dakota Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS)

There were 8,179 live births in North Dakota in 2004. That means a baby is born in North Dakota every hour. A baby is born to a teenage mother every 14 hours and every 16 hours a baby is born with a low birthweight. (ND Division of Vital Records)

The circumstances and conditions under which a baby is born have lifelong implications. The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) provides valuable information about mothers’ experiences before, during, and after pregnancy. PRAMS data can be used for making informed decisions that enhance the quality of life for all North Dakota mothers and babies, reduce the financial costs of poor birth outcomes, and enable children to reach their full potential.

• Description of the Program
• Publications
  • PRAM-O-GRAMs (two-page fact sheets)
  • North Dakota PRAMS - 2002 Survey Results (detailed report)
  • PRAMS Inform Fact Sheet (from North Dakota KIDS COUNT)
• Select Links
• For more info about the data

Description of the Program

PRAMS, the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, is a surveillance project of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health departments. An explanation of the project and detailed methodology are available on the CDC’s PRAMS website. PRAMS collects state-specific, population-based data on maternal attitudes and experiences prior to, during, and immediately following pregnancy. PRAMS allows CDC and the states to monitor changes in maternal and child health indicators (e.g., unintended pregnancy, prenatal care, breastfeeding, smoking, drinking, infant health).

Many states participate in PRAMS. North Dakota and Montana were the first PRAMS states to employ a point-in-time (rather than ongoing) PRAMS survey data collection. The point-in-time system was intended to allow states with smaller population bases and fewer resources to benefit from PRAMS data collection. The North Dakota Department of Health in Bismarck, North Dakota, contracted with the North Dakota State Data Center (NDSDC) at North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota, to provide the expertise in data collection, data entry, and data analysis. The NDSDC conducted the study in 2002 and collected data from 909 North Dakota mothers who had delivered babies that same year.

A detailed PRAMS report was published in 2004. The NDSDC is now preparing a series of PRAM-O-GRAM fact sheets for the North Dakota Department of Health to be published in 2007-08. The fact sheets highlight findings from the study in areas such as pregnancy intendedness, prenatal stress, infant health characteristics, breastfeeding, and health services utilization.

In addition, North Dakota KIDS COUNT published a PRAMS Inform Fact Sheet in April 2006.

Publications

PRAM-O-GRAMs, a series of nine two-page fact sheets, highlight findings from the 2002 PRAMS study and are scheduled to be published in 2007 and 2008.
	PRAM-O-GRAM Two-Page Fact Sheet Series: (#5) Maternal Health Characteristics (December 2007)
	PRAM-O-GRAM Two-Page Fact Sheet Series: (#4) Discussions With Health Care Workers During Prenatal Care Visits (December 2007)
	PRAM-O-GRAM Two-Page Fact Sheet Series: (#3) Prenatal and Postpartum Issues (December 2007)
	PRAM-O-GRAM Two-Page Fact Sheet Series: (#2) Pregnancy Intendedness (August 2007)
	PRAM-O-GRAM Two-Page Fact Sheet Series: (#1) North Dakota Birth Trends (August 2007)

	The overall goal of the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) is to reduce infant morbidity and mortality by impacting policies and maternal behaviors during pregnancy and early infancy. View the North Dakota PRAMS - 2002 Survey Results (Released December 2004; 936 KB, 110 pages)
View sections of report separately:
Methodology Respondent Profile Specific topic sections: Pregnancy Intendedness Maternal Health Services Utilization Oral Health Services Utilization Maternal Lifestyle and Health Characteristics Prenatal Stress and Complications Infant Health Characteristics and Services Breastfeeding Injury Prevention View Quotes from Mothers

Select Links:

• Annie E. Casey Foundation
  • The Right Start Online
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Fertility, Family Planning, and Reproductive Health of U.S. Women: Data from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth (PDF)
  • PRAMS
• The Maternal-Newborn-Child Health Continuum of Care: A Collective Effort to Save Lives (Population Reference Bureau)
• March of Dimes Perinatal Data Center
  • All Data for North Dakota
  • Born Too Soon and Too Small in North Dakota Fact Sheet
• Maternal and Child Health Bureau
  • A Healthy Start: Begin Before Baby's Born
• North Dakota Department of Health
  • North Dakota Division of Maternal and Child Health
  • North Dakota Division of Vital Records
• North Dakota KIDS COUNT
  • Pregnancy and Prenatal Care
• NDSU Extension - Bright Beginnings
• See Vital Statistics Information for links to birth data, including number of births and birth rates

For more information about PRAMS data for North Dakota, contact the North Dakota State Data Center or the North Dakota Department of Health.