Know the Numbers
The states that are part of Every Woman Southeast are very fortunate to have the Region IV Network for Data Management and Utilization (RNDMU), now celebrating its 25th anniversary. The RNDMU was begun as a result of the southern Regional Task Force on Infant Mortality, a group commissioned by the Southern Governors’ Association. The goal of the network is to improve the planning and assessment capabilities of the states, with a specific concern about infant mortality and related indicators. Over the years there have been many new indicators added including, data related to family planning, women’s health and the Latino population. Currently, the RNDMU is planning to add a new set of preconception health and health care indicators to its collection.
We encourage our partners across the south to become familiar with the indicators in this book. Some training may also be available to states through the Network. Contact declerque [at] schsr [dot] unc [dot] edu (Julie DeClerque), RNDMU Director, at 919-966-7106. To access more information about the RNDMU as well as their 2009 data book and 2010 indicator site map please click here.
In December 2007, the Public Health Working Group of the National Select Committee on Preconception Health and Health Care convened a separate committee (working group) of maternal and child health program managers, epidemiologists, and data managers from seven states (California, Delaware, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas, and Utah) to specify preconception health domains (i.e., priority areas) and propose currently measurable preconception health indicators at the state level. Representatives from the seven states worked to develop a final list of 45 Core State Preconception Health and Health Care Indicators within 11 different domains. These indicators are meant to allow states to uniformly define, collect, and report on data relevant to the health status of reproductive aged women between the ages of 18 and 44 years. The domains selected are as follows: General Health Status, Social Determinants of Health, Health Care, Reproductive Health and Family Planning, Tobacco, Alcohol and Substance Abuse, Nutrition and Physical Activity, Mental Health, Emotional and Social Support, Chronic Conditions, Infections and Genetic and Epigenetics. To review the domains and indicators in greater detail as well as to view data sources click here.
Florida has developed a report that offers a great example of how states can put the new preconception health indicators into practice. Click here to review their report.
The March of Dimes is another good resource for maternal and infant health indicators. Their Peristats program provides easy to access to data, charts and graphs for individual states as well as the nation. To access this resource click here.