The Hawaii Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) Program is a population-based
surveillance system designed to identify and monitor maternal experiences, attitudes, and
behaviors from preconception, through pregnancy and into the interconception period.
The program is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division
of Reproductive Health.
HISTORY
PRAMS was developed in 1987 to supplement the birth certificate records by providing
state-specific data on maternal behaviors and experiences to be used for planning and
assessing maternal and child health programs. Hawaii PRAMS started out as a pilot
program in 1999, with Hawaii becoming an official PRAMS state in 2000. Forty states and New York City currently participate in the PRAMS program
(six others participated previously). This represents approximately 78%
of all U.S. live births. PRAMS provides ongoing monitoring of maternal behaviors to
determine how to reduce infant deaths, decrease low birth weights and improve the
overall health of the population in Hawaii.
PRAMS PROJECT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The overall goal of PRAMS is to reduce infant morbidity and mortality by impacting
maternal and child health programs, policies and maternal behaviors during pregnancy and early infancy.
There are four PRAMS objectives:
- Collect high quality population-based data on maternal behaviors before and during
pregnancy
and during the early life of the infant.
- Conduct epidemiologic analysis and study of maternal behaviors and experiences
during pregnancy and early infancy and determine their relationship to health outcomes.
- Translate data analyses into useable information for program planning,
monitoring and evaluation.
- Increase public awareness of healthy pregnancy behaviors to improve maternal health across the life span.
HOW DOES PRAMS OPERATE?
A PRAMS questionnaire is mailed to approximately 200 new mothers per month on all of
the islands of Hawaii. The new moms are randomly selected from the birth certificates of recently
born infants. The questionnaire includes questions that are asked by PRAMS programs in
all states (core) as well as Hawai‘i-specific questions. All questions were developed
and researched by CDC to identify relevant topics and issues. The PRAMS questionnaire
addresses priority maternal and child health issues such as unintended pregnancy, breastfeeding,
smoking and alcohol use, insurance coverage, contraception use,
post-partum depression and intimate partner violence. Hawaii-specific questions are selected by
the PRAMS Program, in partnership with the Hawaii PRAMS Steering Committee, other
Department of Health program staff, and local community stakeholders.
HAWAII PRAMS QUESTIONNAIRES
HAWAII PRAMS REPORTS
Data collected by the Hawaii PRAMS program is used to enhance discussion about
important health issues facing families in Hawaii. Reports are shared in various
formats including state reports, fact sheets, presentations, and published manuscripts.
We hope that these and other products produced using Hawaii PRAMS data will be useful
information to improve the health of everyone in Hawaii.
Hawaii PRAMS 2000-2008 Trend Report: In 2010, the Hawaii PRAMS 2000-2008 Trend Report was released to highlight
changes statewide in 16 indicators since Hawaii began collecting data. A copy
of the report is available on line at http://Hawaii.gov/health/doc/pramstrendreport2010.pdf)
County-specific trend reports are available online at the following links:
Fact Sheets: Fact sheets are used to increase discussion, focus further analyses, and present
data that may be useful for program planning. The
length of a fact sheet is limited and is not meant to portray a complete picture for any one
particular issue.
WHY IS THE PRAMS QUESTIONNAIRE IMPORTANT FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH?
If you have recently had a baby in Hawaii and received a PRAMS questionnaire to complete,
please do so. Answering the PRAMS questions helps doctors, health professionals, clinics, and
organizations improve health care services for all women and children in Hawaii. A token of
appreciation will be sent to you approximately 4 weeks after we receive your survey. All
questionnaires are kept confidential as provided by Hawaii State law. No reports or responses
will be traced back to mother's participating in the survey. The Hawaii PRAMS birth sample is
chosen from all women who recently had a live birth. PRAMS provide data not available from other
sources about pregnancy and the first few months after birth. The gathered information can also be
compared to other states participating in PRAMS which can then help maternal and child health
organizations across the country improve their programs and policies. So, the information you
provide on the survey CAN make a real difference!
HAWAII PRAMS FAQ HANDOUTS
If you have questions about the Hawaii PRAMS program or Hawaii PRAMS data, feel free to contact the
Hawaii PRAMS Program Coordinator (contact info below). However, the Hawaii PRAMS program has also developed
two handouts with answers to the most common questions received.
LINKS
Selected Hawaii PRAMS data and reports are available online at the
Hawaii Health Matters and
Hawaii Health Data Warehouse websites.
For further information about the CDC PRAMS Program, please visit the
CDC PRAMS website.
For more information about the Hawaii PRAMS Program, please contact:
Emily Roberson, MPH
Hawaii PRAMS Program Coordinator
Telephone: 808-733-4060
Fax: 808-733-8369
Email: PRAMS@doh.hawaii.gov
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