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PRAMS

Montana Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System

Montana PRAMS Rectangle Logo

The Montana Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) is a random, population-based survey of Montana moms about maternal behaviors and experiences before, during, and after pregnancy. The project is a collaborative effort with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Our purpose is to find out why some babies are born unhealthy and others are not. To do this, our survey asks new mothers questions about their behaviors and experiences around the time of their pregnancy. 

Methodology

Montana PRAMS began data collection in 2017 with the Phase 8 questionnaire. Every four years, the questionnaire is revised to address current and important issues for mothers and newborns, and a new Phase begins. Each year Montana samples approximately 1,800 new mothers that have given birth to a live-born infant.  From the aggregate of all births known to Montana Vital Statistics, a complex sampling strategy has been designed to draw random samples.

The sampling method was designed to oversample mothers on Medicaid and American Indian/Alaska Native mothers.

Stratum 1: Non-Medicaid
Stratum 2: Medicaid
Stratum 3: American Indian / Alaska Native

PRAMS is primarily a mail surveillance project with telephone follow-up of non-responders. Participants are surveyed by a mailed questionnaire 3-6 months after giving birth, which is followed up by a telephone interview if no response is received from the mailed survey. 

FAQs - For Selected Moms

How was I chosen to participate in PRAMS?

Your name was picked by chance, like in a lottery, from the state birth certificate registry. You are one of a small number of women who were chosen to help us in this study.

Is it really important that I answer these questions?

Yes! Because of the small number of mothers picked, it is important to have everyone’s answers. Every pregnancy is different. To get a better picture of overall health of mothers and babies in Montana, we need each mother selected to answer the questions. From the information you give us, we may be able to improve health care for women and children in Montana.

Will my answers be kept private?

Yes – all answers are kept completely private to the extent permitted by law. All answers given on the questionnaires will be grouped together to give us information on Montana mothers of new babies. In reports from this survey, no woman will be identified by name.

Why is the University of Missouri calling me?

Unfortunately we are not able to conduct the phone portion of the survey ourselves. The University of Missouri was selected to help with the phone surveys based on their 10 years of experience working with PRAMS and their dedication to collecting high quality data.

What if I want to ask more questions about PRAMS?

Please call our PRAMS coordinator, Emily Healy, directly at 406-444-1921 or at our toll-free number, 1-800-762-9891, option 2. We will be happy to answer any other questions you may have about PRAMS.

FAQs - Data Users

Data will not be available until 2019. Please check back later for more information on how to request the data.

Questionnaires

Coming soon!

Resources for Moms

Department of Public Health and Human Services Resources

Family and Community Health Bureau

Public Health and Safety Division

Montana Medicaid and CHIP

Child and Family Services

Human and Community Services

Other Resources

Adoption Support

Bereavement Support

Child Safety

Community Resources

Domestic and Sexual Assault

  • Domestic Violence Hotline
  • Sexual Assault Hotline
    • 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
  • Montana Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence

For Teens

Mental Health and Suicide Prevention

  • ​MT Crisis & Suicide Prevention Line
    • 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text "MT" to 741741
  • NAMI Montana

Parent Support

Tobacco and Drug Cessation

Women's Health and Family Planning