Improving medical risk factor reporting on birth certificates in Alabama.

BACKGROUND: In 1995, a program was begun at the University of South Alabama (USA) to improve the reporting of medical risk factors on birth certificates. METHODS: Data on medical risk factors for USA Hospital and the remainder of the state for 1994 and 1996 were examined to observe the effects of the USA Medical Center program. RESULTS: The number of medical risk factors reported changed markedly between 1994 and 1996 for most items and changed hardly at all for the remainder of the state. The changes for selected factors from 1994 to 1996 were as follows: anemia, 19 (0.4% of all birth certificates) to 489 (12.3%); acute or chronic lung disease, 1 (<0.1%) to 405 (10.2%); cardiac disease, 10 (0.2%) to 99 (2.5%); diabetes, 111 (2.6%) to 160 (4.0%); genital herpes, 3 (0.1%) to 81 (2.0%); and hemoglobinopathy, 0 (0%) to 166 (4.2%). Changes in other factors were similar. CONCLUSIONS: The USA Medical Center program has significantly increased the frequency and percent of birth certificates indicating medical risk factors.

Low prenatal weight gain among adult WIC participants delivering term singleton infants: variation by maternal and program participation characteristics.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association of maternal and prenatal WIC program participation characteristics with low prenatal weight gain among adult women delivering liveborn, singleton infants at term. METHODS: WIC program data for 19,017 Black and White Alabama women delivering in 1994 were linked with birth certificate files to examine the association of anthropometric, demographic, reproductive, hematologic, behavioral and program participation characteristics with low prenatal weight gain. RESULTS: One third (31.0%) had low prenatal weight gain as defined by the Institute of Medicine. The incidence of low weight gain was increased among women who had < 12 years of education, were single, Black, anemic, had low or normal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI), increased parity, interpregnancy intervals < or = 24 months, used tobacco or alcohol, or entered prenatal care or WIC programs after the first trimester. After adjusting for selected maternal characteristics, the adjusted odds ratios (AOR) for low weight gain were increased with short interpregnancy intervals (AOR 1.21 to 2.20); tobacco use (AOR 1.16 to 1.40), anemia (AOR 1.20 to 1.25), and second trimester entry into prenatal care (AOR 1.14 to 1.20); the size of the AORs and 95% confidence intervals varied by BMI and racial subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that WIC interventions targeting low prenatal weight gain be focused on risk factors present not only during pregnancy, but during the pre- and interconceptional periods as well. Interventions should target low BMI, tobacco use, and anemia, and include attention to nutrition screening and risk reduction among women in postpartum and family planning clinic settings.

The revised standard certificate of live birth: analysis of medical risk factor data from birth certificates in Alabama, 1988-92.

The latest revision of the birth certificate features a new checkbox format designed to collect more effectively information for public health research. One of the new checkbox items, medical risk factors for this pregnancy, is designed to collect information on risk factors which result in adverse pregnancy outcomes. Data from 308,573 birth certificates filed in Alabama between 1988 and 1992 were analyzed. Although problems exist with the data collected for this item, useful information can be obtained to investigate important public health issues. First, the data can be used to determine the prevalence of medical risk factors in the population. Second, differences between subpopulations with these conditions can be examined. For example, some differences between racial groups in adverse pregnancy outcomes may be explained by the fact that black mothers are more likely to have a medical risk factor than whites. Third, some medical factors are associated with elevated risks for low birth weight, while others are associated with reduced probability of low birth weight. Although useful data can be obtained from the medical risk factor item, it and other checkbox items would be more useful if efforts were made to improve reporting. Improvements in training persons who complete the birth certificate are especially needed. Reporting of checkbox items also needs to be validated by comparing results with other sources. In future revisions of the birth certificate, new items need to be examined carefully to determine if that instrument is the appropriate medium for collecting the information.