About
This scorecard is designed to raise awareness about maternal health in Arkansas and support advocacy that can bring meaningful change to mothers and families in our state.
What is the Arkansas Maternal Health Scorecard?
A scorecard displays important metrics that assess progress towards a goal. In Arkansas, improving the wellbeing of mothers and babies is an important statewide goal. To meet this goal, we need to measure and understand different aspects of maternal wellbeing. The Arkansas Maternal Health Scorecard includes key metrics that can track state progress towards ensuring the wellbeing of mothers during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. This scorecard improves public access to maternal health data by compiling metrics from multiple sources with a user-friendly interface and data explanations. This scorecard was developed by the PRIMROSE Project with funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
How to Use This Scorecard
The scorecard’s purpose is to raise awareness about the status of maternal health in Arkansas and to support advocacy that can bring meaningful change to mothers and families in our state. Maternal health stakeholders, including community organizations, healthcare providers, advocacy groups, and families can use this data to plan programs, develop communications and education materials, and advocate for change. Stakeholders can also use this scorecard to learn about the available data sources for measuring maternal wellbeing, to understand the contextual factors that influence key indicators, and to identify data strengths and limitations.
The PRIMROSE Project
The PeRinatal IMpRovement of Outcomes and Safety for Everyone (PRIMROSE) project partners with stakeholders on quality improvement and surveillance to contribute to reducing maternal morbidity and mortality in Arkansas and improve the state’s national ranking for maternal health. PRIMROSE is supported by a grant to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences from the Health Resources and Services Administration. In addition to the Arkansas Maternal Health Scorecard, the PRIMROSE project is coordinating the state’s Maternal Health Community of Practice, expanding access to evidence-based group prenatal care, and preparing emergency departments for obstetric complications. Visit the PRIMROSE Project website to learn more.
Arkansas Births
Arkansas birth data were obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Wide-ranging ONline Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) system. WONDER’s web-based natality data system reports the count of births occurring within the United States by demographic and medical characteristics included in the birth certificate.
For this scorecard, data were obtained from CDC WONDER’s menu-based Natality Request Form (2016-2023 expanded) as follows:
- Grouping variables, such as year, state of residence, and characteristics used for disaggregation of indicators (such as mother’s age, race, and ethnicity) were selected in Section 1 of the natality data request form.
- Indicators, such as preterm birth and mode of delivery, were selected from WONDER’s menu system (Sections 3 to 14).
- Data were exported with totals, zero values, and suppressed values using options in Section 15.
- Percentages were calculated within the Scorecard database using counts obtained from CDC WONDER.
To protect individual privacy, CDC WONDER suppresses results when the count falls below specified ratios, most commonly when the number of observations in a category of individuals is less than 10. Cases where data could not be obtained from WONDER due to suppression are indicated as “N/A” (not available).
Maternal Mortality
Maternal mortality data reported in the Scorecard were obtained from fact sheets and legislative reports published by the Arkansas Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC). These documents can be obtained from the Arkansas Department of Health’s website. Some comparison data were obtained from CDC WONDER’s Natality database using the methods described above.
Severe Maternal Morbidity
Severe maternal morbidity data reported in the Scorecard were obtained from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Fast Stats website. Data were obtained from downloadable spreadsheets on the HCUP “Special Emphasis” dashboard and presented without modification. AHRQ’s publishing requirements were followed in the development of the scorecard. Additional information about the HCUP data and severe maternal morbidity estimates is available from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Maternal Behaviors and Risks
Data on maternal behaviors and risks are collected by the CDC’s Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System (PRAMS), an annual state-based survey. Estimates of state maternal and child health indicators were obtained from data tables published by the PRAMS program without modification. The CDC does not publish state results when the response rate for that state falls below 50%. Additional information about the PRAMS survey and analysis methods is available from the CDC.
Maternity Care Access
Data on geographic access were obtained from program records collected by the Arkansas Perinatal Quality Collaborative and the Arkansas Department of Health. Other data were obtained from CDC WONDER’s Natality database using the methods described above.
For questions or inquiries regarding the Arkansas Maternal Health Scorecard, please contact the team at 
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