Analysis and Reporting using Virginia’s Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) Data
State: VA

Skill Area: Data Analysis and Monitoring

Internship summary
The internship project will be housed in the Office of Family Health Services (OFHS) in the Virginia Department of Health. The OFHS will provide an outstanding opportunity for an intern to apply data analysis skills to public health practice. The OFHS contains six divisions (Women and Infants’ Health, Child and Adolescent Health, Oral Health, Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, Injury and Violence Prevention, and WIC and Community Nutrition) and two office-level units (Business and Policy & Assessment). The intern will be based out of the Policy and Assessment Unit, which is an office-level unit with responsibilities across all six divisions. Ms. Stampfel and Dr. Chapman both work in the Policy and Assessment Unit.

Purpose
The purpose of this internship is to aid in the analysis and dissemination of findings from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) which is a public health surveillance project whose goal is to improve the health of mothers and infants by reducing adverse outcomes such as low birth weight, infant mortality and morbidity, and maternal morbidity. The VA PRAMS project will receive its second year of data in April of 2010, and materials that disseminate PRAMS findings need to be updated with 2008 data. One of the means of disseminating PRAMS findings is via two-page fact sheets. Page one provides an overview of the topic, summarizes descriptive data from PRAMS, and identifies target groups based on goals such as Healthy People 2010 and Virginia’s Title V Priorities. Page two provides a summary of adjusted analyses of risk factors associated with the topic.

Goals
Goal 1. Learn about the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) and how it is used to set priorities and contribute to evidence-based policy.
Goal 2. Update two existing PRAMS fact sheets with analyses of 2008 PRAMS data.
Goal 3. Conduct a literature review for a new PRAMS fact sheet.

Objectives
Objective 1a. Meet with members of the VA PRAMS team to discuss their role in MCH surveillance and the data-related challenges they encounter.
Objective 1b. Attend monthly OFHS epidemiology workgroup meetings.
Objective 2a. Using SAS survey procedures, obtain the prevalence of health conditions or behaviors by race/ethnicity, maternal education, maternal age, household income, and health insurance status by repeating analyses of PRAMS data incorporating new data from 2008.
Objective 2b. Update two existing PRAMS fact sheets (e.g. Multivitamin Use, Pregnancy Intention, Pre-Pregnancy BMI, Postpartum Depression) with the new data.
Objective 3a. Conduct a literature review on a topic for a new PRAMS fact sheet.
Objective 3b. Produce a summary of the literature findings for the fact sheet’s introduction and statement of the problem.

Data or analytic tasks and activities involved
The intern will be expected to perform data analyses (e.g. frequencies, cross tabulations, rates, risk ratios) using the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) survey data. Upon completion of analyses, the intern will be expected to generate charts and written summaries of the results for the PRAMS fact sheets.

Required data or analytic skills
The intern will be expected to conduct data analyses (e.g. frequencies, cross tabulations, rates, risk ratios) using SAS statistical software. Familiarity with SAS survey procedures is preferred but not required. The intern will be expected to independently perform literature searches using Medline and other sources and have a basic understanding of the key concepts of public health surveillance.

Begin date
June 1, 2010

Housing assistance available?
We cannot provide direct assistance with securing housing, but we would be happy to send housing information (apartment listings, contact information, etc.) to the intern.

Public transportation available?
The Virginia Department of Health is located in downtown Richmond and is accessible via public transportation. GRTC buses run from most neighborhoods around Richmond to the downtown area.

More information
The intern will be encouraged to attend any PRAMS-related data presentations and team meetings to gain a better understanding of the PRAMS project. The intern will also be encouraged to start analysis on the new PRAMS fact sheet, suggest topics for future fact sheets, and propose additional analyses for existing PRAMS materials. However, the only required activities are those listed under the goals and objectives for the internship.

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