PRAMS
PRAMS, the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, is a surveillance project of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health departments.
Developed in 1987, PRAMS collects state-specific, population-based data on maternal attitudes and experiences before, during, and shortly after pregnancy. PRAMS surveillance currently covers about 83% 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 and local governments to plan and review programs and policies aimed at reducing health problems among mothers and babies.
Vital Signs: Prescription Opioid Pain Reliever Use During Pregnancy — 34 U.S. Jurisdictions, 2019
Vital Signs: Postpartum Depressive Symptoms and Provider Discussions About Perinatal Depression — United States, 2018
About Data Collection and Processing
Improving Health for Mothers and Babies
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 states and standard questions developed by CDC.
Researchers may request the PRAMS Analytic Research File for studies that involve multiple states by submitting a proposal to CDC.
PRAMS surveillance system is a standardized data collection system.
Forty-seven states, New York City, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia and the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board (GPTCHB) 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.
- 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 2020:29:291-6.
- Williams L, D’Angelo DV, Bauman B, et al. Women’s Awareness and Healthcare Provider Discussions about Zika Virus during Pregnancy, United States, 2016–2017external icon. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2020;26(5):998-1001. doi:10.3201/eid2605.190727.
- Shulman HB, D’Angelo DV, Harrison L, Smith RA, Warner L. The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS): Overview of Design and Methodologyexternal icon. American journal of public health. 2018;108(10):1305-1313.
Data table with selected MCH indicators from 2016-2017. Data is presented for all PRAMS sites and also presented by individual state.
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