Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System

How does PRAMS work?

• PRAMS uses a confidential survey to identify and monitor selected maternal attitudes, behaviors, and experiences before, during, and after pregnancy – information that is not routinely available from other sources.
• Each month about 165 women who recently gave birth are randomly chosen to receive the survey by mail. About 2,000 women will be surveyed each year.
• PRAMS surveys all mothers who deliver a low birth weight baby
• PRAMS over-samples births in the core cities of Central Falls, Newport, Pawtucket, Providence, West Warwick, and Woonsocket.
• Women recieve a gift card with the first survey as a thank you gift.
• In an effort to obtain a high response rate, the survey is mailed out a second and third time to women who do not respond to the initial mailing.
• Women who do not respond after three mailings are called and offered the opportunity to complete the survey over the telephone.
• Surveys are available in English and Spanish. Telephone interviews can also be completed in Spanish.
• The data from completed surveys is analyzed in a way that allows findings to be applied to all pregnant women, new mothers, and infants.