A GIS Model to Reduce Risk Factors for Pregnant and Parenting Mothers

Spatial analysis uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to capture, store, analyze, and display geographically referenced data. This session will provide one example that used GIS to enhance the evaluation in the human services: The use of GIS yearly to examine maternal and child health indicators. Discussion of will cover how one community coalition uses the resulting maps to evaluate areas of greatest need for services. Risk factors are mapped by zip code to determine where funding and services are most necessary. The risk factors include preterm births, low birth weight, 3 year average infant and fetal mortality, teen pregnancy, maternal Body Mass Index (BMI), and overweight/obesity rates of mothers. The maps are shared with community members to identify intervention strategies that may have lead to increases or decreases over time in risk factors and fetal/infant death rates. Using mapping allows community members to visualize their neighborhoods, personalize the data their surrounding area, and offer insights into their communities. The resulting maps and specific examples of their use within the community will be discussed.