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Maternal Health

Maternal health during and immediately after pregnancy is strongly correlated with access to and quality of prenatal medical care; nutrition; and food security. RAND's research on maternal health throughout the world includes studies of prenatal obstetric care for low-income women, the effects of public assistance on birth outcomes, maternal and infant mortality, family planning and birth spacing, prenatal substance use, and maternal mental health.

Infographic
Preventing Maternal Deaths in Medi-Cal: What Researchers Can Do
This fact sheet presents recommendations for researchers from the Birth-Centered Outcomes Research Engagement in Medi-Cal Project to decrease maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity among Medi-Cal members.
Jul 24, 2023
Infographic
Preventing Maternal Deaths in Medi-Cal: What Policymakers Can Do
This fact sheet presents recommendations for policymakers from the Birth-Centered Outcomes Research Engagement in Medi-Cal Project to decrease maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity among Medi-Cal members.
Jul 24, 2023
Report
Improving Maternal Outcomes in California
Though California leads the nation with its low maternal mortality rate, there are still significant disparities. RAND researchers explored whether using the Birth-Centered Outcomes Research Engagement approach could improve outcomes for publicly insured people and certain racial and ethnic groups.
Jul 24, 2023
Infographic
Preventing Maternal Deaths in Medi-Cal: What Communities Can Do
This fact sheet presents recommendations for communities from the Birth-Centered Outcomes Research Engagement in Medi-Cal Project to decrease maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity among Medi-Cal members.
Jul 24, 2023
Infographic
Preventing Maternal Deaths in Medi-Cal: What Medi-Cal and Health Plans Can Do
This fact sheet presents recommendations for Medi-Cal administrators and contracted health plans from the Birth-Centered Outcomes Research Engagement in Medi-Cal Project to decrease maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity in Medi-Cal.
Jul 24, 2023
Infographic
Preventing Maternal Deaths in Medi-Cal: What Health Care Systems Can Do
This fact sheet presents recommendations for health care systems (e.g., birth facilities, clinics) from the Birth-Centered Outcomes Research Engagement in Medi-Cal Project to decrease maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity in Medi-Cal.
Jul 24, 2023
Journal Article
Definition, Management, and Training in Impacted Fetal Head at Cesarean Birth: A National Survey of Maternity Professionals
This study assessed views, understanding and current practices of maternity professionals in relation to impacted foetal head at caesarean birth, with the aim of informing a standardized definition, clinical management approaches and training.
Jul 21, 2023
Journal Article
State Experiences Linking Medicaid Data With Birth Certificates and Other Data Sources
We completed a literature review, developed an inventory of linkage efforts, and facilitated discussions to understand the technical details, experiences creating and maintaining linkages, and barriers or facilitators to establishing linkages.
May 4, 2023
Journal Article
Changes in Breastfeeding and Lactation Support Experiences During COVID
RAND researchers surveyed parents who gave birth from 2019 to 2021 to examine changes in breastfeeding experiences and professional and lay breastfeeding support services due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Apr 27, 2023
Journal Article
COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake and Attitudes Among Pregnant and Postpartum Parents
This study aimed to investigate COVID-19 vaccine uptake and reasons for delay or refusal among perinatal parents.
Jan 24, 2023
Journal Article
Seven Features of Safety in Maternity Units: A Framework Based on Multisite Ethnography and Stakeholder Consultation
In this article we aim to characterise features of safety in maternity units and to generate a plain language framework that could be used to guide learning and improvement.
Dec 8, 2022
Q&A
Abortion After the Dobbs Decision: Q&A with RAND Researchers
The overturning of Roe v. Wade is likely to disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, including U.S. service women and pregnant women with substance use disorders. And abortion misinformation will likely increase. RAND researchers discuss these issues and potential policy responses.
Oct 25, 2022
Journal Article
Linking Medicaid Claims, Birth Certificates, and Other Sources to Advance Maternal and Infant Health
Medicaid claims linked with birth certificates and other data can be used for maternal and infant health research. We reviewed literature and facilitated group discussions with representatives from nine states to better understand linkage efforts.
Oct 20, 2022
Journal Article
The Impact of Panel Composition and Topic on Stakeholder Perspectives: Generating Hypotheses from Online Maternal and Child Health Modified-Delphi Panels
This study develops hypotheses about the impact of panel composition and topic on the propensity and meaningfulness of response changes in multistakeholder modified-Delphi panels.
Sep 21, 2022
Commentary
How Policies That Punish Pregnant Women Backfire
There is overwhelming evidence and consensus from the medical and public health communities that supportive approaches are what help pregnant women with substance use disorders. Unfortunately, the overturning of Roe v. Wade has opened the door for more policies that police and punish women rather than these solutions that can save lives.
Aug 2, 2022
Commentary
Countering Abortion Misinformation in the Post-Roe Environment
Misinformation could become a major barrier to individuals trying to find safe, legal, and quality reproductive care. How might states, health insurers, and technology companies address this problem?
Jul 6, 2022
Journal Article
Lessons Learned Recruiting and Retaining Pregnant and Postpartum Individuals in Digital Trials
We collaborated to share lessons learned from our experiences recruiting and retaining pregnant and postpartum individuals in digital trials of social and behavioral interventions.
Mar 8, 2022
Journal Article
Cannabis Legalization and Cannabis-Involved Pregnancy Hospitalizations in Colorado
The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the association between presence of recreational cannabis dispensaries and prevalence of cannabis-involved pregnancy hospitalizations in Colorado.
Mar 4, 2022
Journal Article
Impact of Telelactation Services on Breastfeeding Outcomes Among Black and Latinx Parents: Protocol for the Tele-MILC Randomized Controlled Trial
We present a protocol for the digital Tele-MILC trial, which uses mixed methods to evaluate the impact of telelactation services on breastfeeding outcomes.
Mar 4, 2022
Journal Article
Tackling Persistent and Large Disparities in Birth Outcomes in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
The IMPreSIv database allowed us to summarize the maternal health, behavioral, and contextual factors associated with birth outcomes and describe the participation rates in available medical and community setting interventions in Allegheny County.
Jan 5, 2022

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Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Kandice A. Kapinos

Senior Economist

Kandice A. Kapinos (she/her) is a senior economist at the RAND Corporation specializing in access to health care and disparities in the United States. She combines applied microeconomics and epidemiologic models with advanced econometrics and causal inference tools to understand how social,…
Evan D. Peet

Codirector, RAND Center for Causal Inference

Evan D. Peet (he/him/his) is an economist at the RAND Corporation, a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School, and codirector of the RAND Center for Causal Inference. His research focuses on health and health policy. Currently, Peet is focusing on substance use disorders…

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