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IntroductionKey FindingsHealth OutcomesSocial and Economic FactorsPhysical EnvironmentClinical CareAppendixMeasures TableMethodologyLimitationsReferencesData Source DescriptionsDemographic Group Definitions
2024 Maternal and Infant Health Disparities Data Brief2024 Maternal and Infant Health Disparities Data Brief - State Profiles2024 Maternal and Infant Health Disparities Data Brief - Measures Table2024 Maternal and Infant Health Disparities Data Brief – Infographics2024 Maternal and Infant Health Disparities Data Brief – Data Export
American Community Survey (ACS) is an ongoing statistical survey carried out by the U.S. Census Bureau, which is sent to approximately 295,000 addresses monthly, or 3.5 million per year, making it the largest survey after the decennial census that the Census Bureau administers. For most of the ACS-sourced indicators, we utilized 5-year combined ACS Public Use Microdata Sample (ACS PUMS) data to create estimates for nonoverlapping racial and ethnic groups. The ACS PUMS contains data on approximately two-thirds of the complete ACS sample; thus, estimates derived using the PUMS data may not match that of the estimates available via five-year summary files that can be accessed via the data.census.gov website.
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is the nation’s largest phone-based survey. It provides information about U.S. residents’ health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions and use of preventive services. Respondents include adults ages 18 years and older. Three years of combined data (2011-2014, 2015-2018, 2019-2022) were utilized to ensure reliable estimates.
U.S. HHS, Maternal & Child Health Bureau, Federally Available Data (FAD) provides access to a wide range of data related to maternal and child health in the United States. This resource compiles and disseminates data collected from various federal agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and others.
March of Dimes, Perinatal Data Center is a comprehensive database managed by the March of Dimes Foundation. It serves as a repository for perinatal (related to the period shortly before and after birth) data from various sources, including hospitals, health departments and other organizations involved in maternal and infant health.
Maternity Practices in Infant and Nutrition Care is a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States. Its primary purpose is to assess maternity care practices related to infant feeding and care in maternity facilities. Overall mPINC plays a crucial role in promoting evidence-based practices that support optimal infant nutrition and care during the critical early postnatal period.
National Survey of Children’s Health was first implemented in 2003 in order to collect data on multiple, intersecting aspects of children’s lives—including physical and mental health, access to quality health care and the child’s family, neighborhood, school and social context. The original version of the survey was used to collect data in 2003, 2007 and 2011-2012 using telephone-based data collection methods. The NSCH then underwent a major redesign, including consolidation with another child health needs-oriented survey (the National Survey of Children with Special Health Needs) in 2016. At that time, it became a mail and web-based survey for which data is collected annually. Data collected from 2016 onward is not comparable to that collected in prior years. Thus, we used data from the 2016 and 2021 surveys for this project. The survey samples between 21,600 and 50,900 non-institutionalized children between the ages of 0 and 17 annually. An adult who lives in the household and is familiar with the child’s health and healthcare completes the survey. Questionnaires vary slightly depending upon the age of the sampled child. We created estimates for gender, race and ethnicity, disability status, adult educational attainment and household income subpopulations.
The National Vital Statistics System administered by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), collects and disseminates data on the nation’s vital events including births, deaths, marriages, divorces and fetal deaths. This brief analyzed data from the Natality Public Use files and Linked Birth and Death Records (2008-2011, 2013-2016, 2018-2021). Years of data combined and used varied by indicator for the former data source. All NVSS data were downloaded from the CDC WONDER website (wonder.cdc.gov). Owing to changes in how data are captured over time, data are not available for all years via a single form, and it frequently was not feasible to combine data using different forms. This limited our ability to carry out trend analyses for some demographics.