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Pregnancy

Essay

Reducing Disparities in Infant Mortality: Using Big Data to Help Babies at Risk

Black babies in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania—and across America—face much higher mortality rates than white babies. Researchers pulled together thousands of data points on more than 150,000 births to better predict who is at risk and how to help them.

Jul 1, 2021
Commentary

Mothers Need a Continuous System of Care Even After Babies Are Born

In the United States, babies are born into a system of well-child care—a series of planned health care visits designed to protect their health from day one through age six. But no such system exists for their mothers. How do we create a system of health care for mothers that mirrors well-child care?

May 10, 2021
Report

Informing the Development of Standardized Clinical Definitions of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome and Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome: Results of Two Modified-Delphi Expert Panels

The authors describe the results of two modified-Delphi expert panels used to inform the work of a federal steering committee on the development of clinical definitions of neonatal abstinence syndrome and neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome.

May 3, 2021
Research Brief

Using an Innovative Database and Machine Learning to Predict and Reduce Infant Mortality

Researchers created a unique database linking medical, social, and demographic information, then used machine learning techniques to evaluate risk of infant mortality and develop intervention recommendations to reduce each infant's risk of mortality

Feb 4, 2021
Journal Article

Engaging Patients and Professionals to Evaluate the Seriousness of Maternal and Child Health Outcomes: Protocol for a Modified Delphi Study

This article determines the seriousness of 11 maternal and child health outcomes associated with pregnancy weight gain, by engaging patients and maternal and child health professionals using an online modified Delphi panel process.

Jan 12, 2021
Journal Article

Rating the Seriousness of Maternal and Child Health Outcomes Linked with Pregnancy Weight Gain

This article estimates the seriousness of eleven maternal and child health outcomes that have been consistently associated with pregnancy weight gain by engaging patients and health professionals.

Jan 12, 2021
Report

Examining Interventions to Address Infant Mortality in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

Poor birth and infant outcomes and pronounced racial disparities persist in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, despite robust maternal and child health and social service systems. Which interventions are the most effective and how does effectiveness vary for women with different risk and other factors?

Jan 6, 2021
Journal Article

Effects of Women's Weight Changes on Adverse Outcomes in a Second Pregnancy

This article estimates the effects of women's weight changes in four sequential perinatal periods across first and second pregnancies on adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in the second pregnancy.

Nov 13, 2020
Journal Article

Association of Pregnancy and Insurance Status With Treatment Access for Opioid Use Disorder

In this cross-sectional study with random assignment of clinicians and simulated-patient callers, many women, especially pregnant women, faced barriers to accessing treatment. Given the high out-of-pocket costs and lack of acceptance of insurance among many clinicians, access to affordable opioid use disorder treatment is a significant concern.

Sep 3, 2020
Journal Article

Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Among Pregnant Women Referred by Criminal Justice Agencies Before and After Medicaid Expansion: A Retrospective Study of Admissions to Treatment Centers in the United States

Pregnant women with OUD referred by criminal justice agencies between 1992 and 2017 were consistently less likely to receive evidence-based treatment than women referred through other sources.

Jun 30, 2020
Journal Article

Consensus Guidelines and State Policies: The Gap Between Principle and Practice at the Intersection of Substance Use and Pregnancy

We review the change over time in state-level policy environments around substance use in pregnancy and contrast the policy response with the principles and guidance from professional societies and federal agencies.

Jun 3, 2020
Infographic

State Policies Related to Substance Use in Pregnancy

This infographic illustrates the evolution from 2000 to 2015 of state policy environments related to substance use in pregnancy. Punitive or potentially punitive policies were more commonly enacted than were policies supporting treatment.

Feb 14, 2020
News Release

The NHS Spends Significantly Less on Pregnancy-Related Research Compared with Other Health Conditions

The National Health Service spends significantly less on pregnancy-related research compared with other health conditions. Funding for pregnancy research totaled £255 million from 2013 to 2017, or about £51 million a year. As pregnancy care costs the NHS £5.8 billion annually, this means that for every £1 spent on pregnancy care, less than 1 penny is spent on research.

Jan 14, 2020
Report

Pregnancy research review: Policy report

This study presents a review of UK pregnancy research needs and priorities, comparing this to current research expenditure and setting the findings in the context of NHS costs related to pregnancy.

Jan 13, 2020
News Release

Punishing Pregnant Women for Substance Use Is Linked to Higher Rates of Newborns Experiencing Opioid Withdrawal

State policies that impose punitive action against pregnant women who use illicit substances are associated with higher rates of infants being born with opioid withdrawal. This suggests that policymakers should instead focus on public health approaches that bolster prevention and expand access to treatment.

Nov 13, 2019
Commentary

Meghan Markle May Avoid the Spotlight After Giving Birth and Send a Powerful Public Health Message

Meghan Markle plans to break from royal tradition by declining to present her baby to the public on the the steps of the maternity ward, hours after giving birth, with flawless hair and makeup. This could bring attention to many of the postpartum challenges faced by women everywhere.

Apr 11, 2019
Research Brief

Sexual Behavior and Health Among U.S. Active-Duty Service Members

The 2015 Health Related Behaviors Survey asked active-duty service members about risky sexual practices, contraceptive use and unintended pregnancy, and HIV testing. Levels of sexual risk behaviors across the services may be great enough to increase the potential for rapid spread of HIV and other STIs.

Jun 21, 2018
Journal Article

Stigma Gets in My Way: Factors Affecting Client-Provider Communication Regarding Childbearing Among People Living with HIV in Uganda

Among Ugandan HIV clients and health care providers, communication about childbearing needs is poor and associated with stigma.

Apr 10, 2018
Journal Article

A Cluster-Randomized Trial of Getting To Outcomes' Impact on Sexual Health Outcomes in Community-Based Settings

Getting to Outcomes, an implementation support intervention, can strengthen evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs.

Dec 5, 2017
Journal Article

Schooling, Marriage, and Age at First Birth in Madagascar

The low school attainment, early marriage, and low age at first birth of females are major policy concerns in less developed countries. This study jointly estimated the determinants of educational attainment, marriage age, and age at first birth among females aged 12-25 in Madagascar.

Oct 31, 2016

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RAND Topic:
Pregnancy

Topic Synonyms:
Pregnant

Research conducted by

RAND Health Care