Maternal and Child Health

Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System
(PRAMS)

New Jersey PRAMS is a joint research project of the NJ Department of Health (NJDOH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Information from PRAMS is used to help plan better health programs for New Jersey mothers and infants and impact maternal and child health policy and practice.

One out of every 50 women giving birth each month is selected for the PRAMS survey, and more than 70% participate, totaling approximately 1,500 interviews annually. They are asked about their feelings and experiences before, during and after pregnancy. Leading topics include:

• 2023 to Present - Phase 9 Questionnaire (with COVID Vaccine supplement) [English] [Español]

• Multivitamin Use Before Pregnancy (August 2023)
• Women's Health and Alcohol Use (May 2019)
• Maternal Mental Health (January 2019)
• Cigarette Smoking (December 2018)
• Breastfeeding (April 2018)
• Pregnancy Intention (April 2018)
• Safe Sleep (April 2018)

The Annual Chart Book provides information from PRAMS on prenatal care, health and postpartum behaviors, workforce trends, home visitation and dental health. The tables in the Chart Book present data with decade-long trends and sociodemographic breakouts.

A PRAMS dataset query is available on the New Jersey State Health Assessment Data (NJSHAD) System that allows users to create custom tables and graphs of NJ PRAMS data.

Data Briefs present the latest PRAMS survey data on specific issues to inform service providers and policy makers. Each brief describes an "Agenda for Action" for improved healthcare services and links to other resources.

• A Bird's-Eye View of Racial and Ethnic Disparities for Selected Postpartum Behaviors Post-Exposure to Maternal Health Education/Support, PRAMS 2016-2021 (October 2023)
• Association Between Perceived Racial Bias and Postpartum Depression Indicators (July 2023)
• Maternal Risk Factors and Adverse Birth Outcomes (April 2022)
• Tobacco Use and Adverse Birth Outcomes (April 2022)
• Racial Perception and Adverse Birth Outcomes (November 2019)
• Maternal Depression and Pregnancy Outcomes (November 2019)
• The Effect of Childbirth Classes on Nulliparous, Term, Singleton, Vertex (NTSV) Deliveries and Breastfeeding Among New Jersey Mothers (April 2019)
• Unintended Pregnancies Among Mothers in New Jersey (March 2019).
• The Hispanic Paradox in New Jersey: Examining the Effect on Black, Non-Hispanic Mothers (May 2018).
• Employment, Workplace Leave and Return to Work Among New Jersey Mothers (March 2018).

PAHS is a follow-up study to the PRAMS survey and is a collaboration between Columbia University and seven city and state health departments. The purpose of PAHS is to better understand how to improve the health and quality of life of postpartum people and families in the year after childbirth.  PAHS asks a representative sample of individuals about their physical and mental health, health care use and the social determinants of health in the year following childbirth. Data from PAHS fills an important gap in data collection that can help inform interventions to improve maternal and child health in New Jersey and nationally.

PAHS Fact Sheets

• New Jersey Maternal Health Indicators Fact Sheet
• Maternal Health Statistics and Policies - New Jersey Fact Sheet

NJ PRAMS Coordinator
Phone: 609-913-5474
Send us an Email