Virginia Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (VA PRAMS)
VA PRAMS is a survey of mothers who have recently had a baby. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) started PRAMS in 1987 to improve the health of mothers and infants in the United States. PRAMS provides information about a woman’s experiences before, during and just after a pregnancy that resulted in a live birth. The PRAMS survey is currently conducted in 46 states, the District of Columbia, New York City, Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico, and represents over 81% of births in the U.S.
VA PRAMS gives a voice to thousands of new mothers each year, providing quality data for VDH and other policymakers. PRAMS data can be used to identify women and infants at high risk for health problems, to measure progress towards goals in improving health status, to investigate emerging issues, and so much more!
*Note: PRAMS is a state-based survey, currently data can be only stratified by the two local health districts where the program oversamples, Richmond City Health District (RCHD) and Blue Ridge Health District (BRHD).
Unintended Pregnancy
Unintended pregnancy is gathered by asking mothers “When you got pregnant with your new baby, were you trying to get pregnant?” Women who answer “No” are considered to have had an unintended pregnancy.
PRAMS is the only source of data on pregnancy intention rates in Virginia.
Mistimed Pregnancy
Mistimed pregnancy is gathered by asking mothers “Thinking back to just before you got pregnant with your new baby, how did you feel about becoming pregnant?” Women who answer “I wanted to be pregnant later” or “I didn’t want to be pregnant then or at any time in the future” are considered to have had a mistimed pregnancy.
PRAMS is the only source of data on pregnancy timing rates in Virginia.
Breastfeeding Initiation
Breastfeeding Initiation is gathered by asking mothers “Did you ever breastfeed or pump breast milk to feed your new baby, even for a short period of time?” Women who answer “Yes” are considered mothers who have ever breastfed.
Breastfeeding Longevity is gathered by asking “How many weeks or months did you breastfeed or feed pumped milk to your baby?” for an estimated length of breastfeeding longevity.
PRAMS is the primary source of data on breastfeeding initiation and longevity rates in Virginia.
Early Breastfeeding Cessation Map – Small Area Estimates
Early Breastfeeding Cessation is gathered by asking mothers to report how long they breastfed their baby for. Breastfeeding for ≤ 8 weeks or ≤ 2 months indicated early breastfeeding cessation.
Small Area Estimates are county-level data estimates created from PRAMS responses in 2016-2018 by the Division of Population Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
VAPRAMS Early Breastfeeding Cessation – Downloadable Data
Nonadherence with Safe Sleep Map – Small Area Estimates
Nonadherence with Safe Sleep is gathered by asking mothers, “In which one position do you most often lay your baby down to sleep now?” and responses were classified into 2 groups, supine sleep position (on back) and non-supine (on side or on stomach).
Small Area Estimates are county-level data estimates created from PRAMS responses in 2016-2018 by the Division of Population Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
