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Post-disaster Health Indicators for Pregnant and Postpartum Women and Infants

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Abstract

United States (U.S.) pregnant and postpartum (P/PP) women and their infants may be particularly vulnerable to effects from disasters. In an effort to guide post-disaster assessment and surveillance, we initiated a collaborative process with nationwide expert partners to identify post-disaster epidemiologic indicators for these at-risk groups. This 12 month process began with conversations with partners at two national conferences to identify critical topics for P/PP women and infants affected by disaster. Next we hosted teleconferences with a 23 member Indicator Development Working Group (IDWG) to review and prioritize the topics. We then divided the IDWG into three population subgroups (pregnant women, postpartum women, and infants) that conducted at least three teleconferences to discuss the proposed topics and identify/develop critical indicators, measures for each indicator, and relevant questions for each measure for their respective population subgroup. Lastly, we hosted a full IDWG teleconference to review and approve the indicators, measures, and questions. The final 25 indicators and measures with questions (available online) are organized by population subgroup: pregnant women (indicators = 9; measures = 24); postpartum women (indicators = 10; measures = 36); and infants (indicators = 6; measures = 30). We encourage our partners in disaster-affected areas to test these indicators and measures for relevancy and completeness. In post-disaster surveillance, we envision that users will not use all indicators and measures but will select ones appropriate for their setting. These proposed indicators and measures promote uniformity of measurement of disaster effects among U.S. P/PP women and their infants and assist public health practitioners to identify their post-disaster needs.

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Acknowledgments

The findings and conclusions in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Funding Sources: This publication was supported by funds made available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office for Public Health Preparedness and Response. The authors do not possess any financial conflict of interests in relation to this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Field Services Branch (FSB), Division of Reproductive Health (DRH), DRH Program for Emergency Preparedness and Response, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), MANILA Consulting Group, Inc., 36 Warwick Drive, Bella Vista, AR, 72714, USA

    Marianne E. Zotti

  2. Field Services Branch (FSB), Division of Reproductive Health (DRH), National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), MANILA Consulting Group, Inc., Atlanta, GA, USA

    Amy M. Williams & Etobssie Wako

Authors
  1. Marianne E. Zotti
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  2. Amy M. Williams
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  3. Etobssie Wako
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marianne E. Zotti.

Appendix

Appendix

Members of the Indicator Development Working Group who participated in the prioritization activity and/or in ≥1 small group call included: Connie L. Bish, PhD, MPH, National Center for Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Jackson, Mississippi (MS); Lena Camperlengo, DrPH, MPH, NCCDPHP, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia (GA); Sara Copeland, MD, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Rockville, MD; Mary Craig, MSN, MS, Consultant, Diamondhead, MS; Anne Dunlop, MD, MPH, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA; Elizabeth A. Edgerton, MD, MPH, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Rockville, Maryland; Juanita Graham, DNP, Mississippi State Department of Health, Jackson, MS; Emily Harville, PhD, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana (LA); Donald Hayes, MD, MPH, NCCDPHP, CDC, Honolulu, Hawaii; Lisa Haynie, PhD, University of Mississippi School of Nursing, Jackson, MS; Jennifer Horney, PhD, MPH, University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Health, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Debra J. Kane, PhD, NCCDPHP, CDC, Des Moines, Iowa; Lyn Kieltyka, PhD, NCCDPHP, CDC, New Orleans, LA; Susan Manning, MD, MPH, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, CDC, Augusta, Maine; Patricia McKane, DVM, MPH, Michigan Department of Community Health, Lansing, Michigan; Connie Mitchell, MD, MPH, California Department of Public Health, Sacramento, California (CA); Lina Nerlander, BMBCh, MPH, NCCDPHP, CDC, Atlanta, GA; Diana E. Ramos, MD, MPH, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA; Rebecca Ramsey, MPH, CityMatch, Omaha, Nebraska; Caroline Stampfel, MPH, Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, Washington, DC; Roxanne Strohmeier, MPH, University of California Davis, Davis, CA; Denise Wheeler, MS, CNM, Iowa Department of Public Health, Des Moines, IA; Xu Xiong, MD, DrPH, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA.

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Zotti, M.E., Williams, A.M. & Wako, E. Post-disaster Health Indicators for Pregnant and Postpartum Women and Infants. Matern Child Health J 19, 1179–1188 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-014-1643-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-014-1643-4

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