By the numbers: The latest data on Hawaii’s mothers

In an average year in Hawaii:

18,350 babies are born.
2 in 3 moms don’t take preconception vitamins.
8,300 pregnancies are unintended.
4 in 5 moms receive first trimester prenatal care.
2,700 moms report multiple stressful life events.
1 in 6 moms are obese before they got pregnant.
3,400 moms binge drink prior to pregnancy.
1 in 10 moms smoke during pregnancy.
500 moms report drug use during pregnancy.
1 in 4 babies are delivered by cesarean section.
1,200 moms report intimate partner violence.
2 in 5 moms saw a dentist during their pregnancy.
13,000 infants are breast fed at least eight weeks.
7 in 10 infants sleep on their backs.
2,800 moms report postpartum depression.
4 in 5 moms report postpartum contraception use.
600 infants are exposed to secondhand smoke.

*Based on aggregated data from 2004-2008, according to the PRAMS 2010 trend report.

HONOLULU—The latest numbers are in. Hawaii Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded project with participation in 37 states, released its 2010 trend report to provide data on the health and well-being of Hawaii’s mothers. The Hawaii PRAMS steering committee is made up of staff in the Hawaii Department of Health and community stakeholders to provide oversight and guidance for the program.

Hawaii started PRAMS in 1999 with the first full year of data collected in 2000. Hawaii PRAMS works in collaboration with the Hawaii Department of Health’s Office of Health Status Monitoring (OHSM) to identify women who have a live birth in Hawaii. Of the approximately 18,350 births in Hawaii each year, about 200 surveys are sent out each month to mothers about 2 months after delivery, with regular follow up by mail and telephone up to 6 months postpartum. The survey is completed by about 75 percent of mothers.

PRAM’s latest data was aggregated for the time period from 2004 to 2008 to generate estimates by county, race, and maternal age groups. Almost three-quarters of all births occurred in women aged 20 to 34. Approximately 18 percent of births were to mothers 35 years of age and over, while 8.3 percent were to those under 20 years of age.

In nearly half of all births in Hawaii, the mother had 12 or less years of education with just over a quarter reporting having completed college. Among all births in Hawaii, almost one third occurred among mothers who reported income and household size that would put them at below 100 percent of the federal poverty level. Just over 20 percent of mothers were at 101 to 185 percent of the federal poverty level. This demonstrates that just over half of those who have a live birth in the state meet the criteria for Medicaid/QUEST eligibility during pregnancy. Of the 8,500 women each year who are eligible based on federal poverty level for Medicaid/QUEST, about 3,500 women could potentially lose that coverage at eight weeks postpartum unless the addition of the new infant or a change in their overall income would allow them to remain eligible at the 100 percent federal poverty level.

Health insurance coverage for prenatal care was reported by the majority of new mothers with only 2.1 percent reporting no coverage. Private insurance was the most common, followed by Medicaid/QUEST and Military Insurance.

Read the entire report at http://hawaii.gov/health/doc/pramstrendreport2010.pdf.