Preconception Health Indicators for Public Health Surveillance

In response to an expressed need for more focused measurement of preconception health (PCH), we identify a condensed set of PCH indicators for state and national surveillance.

We used a systematic process to evaluate, prioritize, and select 10 PCH indicators that maternal and child health programs can use for surveillance. For each indicator, we assessed prevalence, whether it was addressed by professional recommendations, Healthy People 2020 objectives, or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention winnable battles, measurement simplicity, data completeness, and stakeholders' input.

Fifty PCH indicators were evaluated and prioritized. The condensed set includes indicators that rely on data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (n = 4) and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (n = 6). The content encompasses heavy alcohol consumption, depression, diabetes, folic acid intake, hypertension, normal weight, recommended physical activity, current smoking, unwanted pregnancy, and use of contraception.

Having a condensed set of PCH indicators can facilitate surveillance of reproductive-aged women's health status that supports monitoring, comparisons, and benchmarking at the state and national levels.