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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Kennen S Gross, MPH, DECYWH, Philadelphia Dept. of Public Health, 1101 Market Street, 9th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-685-5284, kennen.gross@phila.gov
From 1997-1999 VLBW births accounted for only 2.6% of all Philadelphia births, yet VLBW infants accounted for 49% of all infant deaths during this same time period. A reduction in the number of VLBW births would therefore help to reduce infant mortality rates. At the same time, a reduction in VLBW births would decrease the high financial impact treating VLBW infants has on the City's health care system. In order to 1) better understand Philadelphia's regional variation in VLBW birth and 2) implement region/risk specific prevention efforts, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) utilized Geographical Information Systems to map 1997-1999 incidences of VLBW births by census tract. Maps were also created to show incidence of VLBW by potential risk factor. Risk factors used were: high parity, smoking during pregnancy, inadequate prenatal care and previous preterm delivery. All data was obtained from the City's vital statistics birth database. Addresses of health centers and hospitals were then geo-coded and overlaid onto the VLBW census tract maps. This analysis will help guide the PDPH in 1) understand the geographic distribution of VLBW birth in the City of Philadelphia 2) identify geographical distribution of risk factors associated with VLBW 3) identify health centers/hospitals located in high risk areas 4) develop, in partnership with area health centers/hospitals, geographically targeted prevention efforts.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Geographic Information Systems, Birth Outcomes
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.