PRAMS
PRAMS, the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, is a surveillance project of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and health departments.
Developed in 1987, PRAMS collects site-specific, population-based data on maternal attitudes and experiences before, during, and shortly after pregnancy. PRAMS surveillance currently covers about 81% of all U.S. births.
PRAMS provides data not available from other sources. PRAMS data are used by researchers to investigate emerging issues in the field of reproductive health and by state, territory, and local governments to plan and review programs and policies aimed at reducing health problems among mothers and infants.
The goal of the PRAMS project is to improve the health of mothers and infants by reducing adverse outcomes.
The PRAMS questionnaire has two parts—core questions that are asked by all the sites, and a set of standard questions which are selected by each site.
Researchers may request the PRAMS Analytic Research File for studies that involve multiple sites by submitting a proposal to CDC.
PRAMS surveillance system is a standardized data collection system.
Forty-six states, the District of Columbia, New York City, Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico currently participate in PRAMS.
PRAMS has implemented enhanced surveillance approaches by modifying the standard protocol.
PRAMS surveillance data can be incorporated into public health decision making or translated in a variety of ways.
MMWRs and other PRAMS publications.
- DeSisto CL, Stone N, Algarin N, Baksh L, Dieke A, et al. Design and Methodology of the Study of Associated Risk of Stillbirth (SOARS) in Utahexternal icon. Public Health Rep 2022;137(1):87-93.
- Garfield CF, Simon CD, Stephens F, Román PC, Castro P, et al. Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System for Dads: A Piloted Randomized Trial of Public Health Surveillance of Recent Fathers’ Behaviors Before and After Infant Birthexternal icon. PLoS One 2022;17(1):e0262366.
- Kortsmit K, Li R, Cox S, Shapiro-Mendoza CK, Perrine CG, et al. Workplace Leave and Breastfeeding Duration Among Postpartum Women, 2016-2018external icon. Am J Public Health 2021;111(11):2036-2045.
- Salvesen von Essen B, Kortsmit K, D’Angelo DV, Warner L, Smith RA, et al. Opportunities to Address Men’s Health During the Perinatal Period-Puerto Rico, 2017external icon. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2021;69(5152):1638-1641.
- D’Angelo D, Cernich A, Harrison L, Kortsmit K, Thierry J, Folger S, Warner L. Disability and Pregnancy: A Cross-Federal Agency Collaboration to Collect Population-Based Data about Experiences around the Time of Pregnancyexternal icon. J Womens Health 2020:29(3):291-296.
- Shulman HB, D’Angelo DV, Harrison L, Smith RA, Warner L. The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS): Overview of Design and Methodologyexternal icon. Am J Public Health 2018;108(10):1305-1313.
Data table with selected MCH indicators from 2016–2020. Data is presented for all PRAMS sites and also presented by individual jurisdiction.
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