Pregnancy and Emergency Department Utilization in North Carolina, 2016-2021: A Population-Based Surveillance Study.

Introduction: Pregnancy-associated complaints are a common reason for emergency department visits for women of reproductive age. Emergency department utilization during pregnancy is associated with worse birth outcomes for both mothers and infants. We used statewide North Carolina emergency department surveillance data between 2016 and 2021 to describe the sociodemographic factors associated with the use of emergency department for pregnancy-associated problems and subsequent hospital admission.

Back to the Future: Reflecting on Three Decades of Healthy North Carolina Infant Mortality Goals.

Decreasing infant mortality has been a key objective of Healthy North Carolina task forces since the inaugural 1990 objectives, but the state has frequently failed to reach its infant mortality goal. Minimal infant mortality reductions continue, as does an unacceptable Black-White disparity ratio. More focused efforts are required.

Addressing Maternal Deaths in North Carolina: Striving to Reach Zero.

Maternal mortality in North Carolina remains a challenge to families, health systems, and communities. The Maternal Mortality Review Committee is part of the process required to prevent these events. In this commentary, we present an abbreviated description of the 2014-2015 Maternal Mortality Review Committee report, set for publication in December, 2019.

Outcomes of infants born to women with influenza A(H1N1)pdm09.

Background: Pregnant women with influenza are more likely to have complications, but information on infant outcomes is limited.

Methods: Five state/local health departments collected data on outcomes of infants born to pregnant women with 2009 H1N1 influenza reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from April to December 2009. Collaborating sites linked information on pregnant women with confirmed 2009 H1N1 influenza, many who were severely ill, to their infants' birth certificates.

Adequacy of Prenatal Care and Gestational Weight Gain.

Background: The goal of prenatal care is to maximize health outcomes for a woman and her fetus. We examined how prenatal care is associated with meeting the 2009 Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines for gestational weight gain.

Sample: The study used deidentified birth certificate data supplied by the North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics.

Discrepancies between published data on racial classification and self-reported race: evidence from the 2002 North Carolina live birth records.

Objectives: We compared data on race as reported by the mother on North Carolina birth certificates with data on race in officially reported statistics. We also determined to what extent differences in the classification of race affect measures of racial disparity in maternal and child health indicators.

Methods: We examined how data on race are collected, coded, and tabulated in North Carolina via live birth certificates, death certificates, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) telephone survey, and the Central Cancer Registry case records.

Hospitalizations and outcomes for diabetic gastroparesis in North Carolina.

Background: Population-based data to assess the extent of gastroparesis in the diabetic population are scarce. We examined the demographic and clinical characteristics associated with hospital admissions for diabetic gastroparesis in North Carolina.

Methods: Data from the 1998 North Carolina Hospital Discharge database were abstracted from records in which gastroparesis and diabetes mellitus were listed as simultaneous diagnoses.