Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Program Partners
American Indian and Alaska Native Reproductive Health
The Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Program (MCHEP) resides in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Reproductive Health. MCHEP carries out activities in epidemiology, surveillance, capacity building, data use, and dissemination that lay the groundwork for improving reproductive and maternal and child health (MCH) among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities throughout the United States. MCHEP works to reduce long-standing and substantial MCH disparities between AI/AN and other United States populations.
MCHEP focuses on efforts to help overcome obstacles in AI/AN health by implementing and supporting activities that expand and improve AI/AN MCH through—
- Enhancing research and surveillance in reproductive MCH among AI/AN communities.
- Building the capacity of tribes and tribal organizations to carry out and promote reproductive and MCH epidemiology.
- Increasing the quality and use of reproductive and MCH data collected by the Indian Health Service (IHS) and tribes.
Examples of CDC's AI/AN MCH activities include the following:
- Responding to requests for technical assistance to address MCH issues: CDC responds to tribal requests for epidemiologic assistance. Our most recent assistance was to a tribe in the Northern Plains investigating a reported increase in infant deaths.
- Building MCH epidemiologic capacity in tribes and tribal organizations: A special supplement of the Maternal and Child Health Journal, Research for MCH practice in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities, was the first MCH Journal issue dedicated to AI/AN communities. Papers were solicited for submission from Tribal Epidemiology Centers and AI/AN communities.
- Ensuring CDC surveillance systems collect adequate AI/AN data: The Yankton Sioux Tribe and Northern Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center (NPTEC) led the South Dakota Tribal Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) point-in-time survey and succeeded in obtaining a >70% response rate among mothers who gave birth to AI infants. In 2010, the NPTEC produced a South Dakota Tribal PRAMS Statewide Surveillance Report.
- Conducting relevant and timely MCH research in collaboration with tribes and tribal organizations: A study conducted jointly with IHS and tribal health administrations and published in 2011 determined that electronic health records may prove to be beneficial in identifying pregnant women in near real-time surveillance of pandemic influenza: Validation of Algorithm to Identify American Indian/Alaska Native Pregnant Women at Risk from Pandemic H1N1 Influenza.
More Related AI/AN Information:
Building Tribal MCH Epidemiologic Capacity
Improving Surveillance Systems and Collecting AI/AN Data
Highlights in Formative MCH Research
Participating in Successful Culturally-Adapted Interventions
CDC Resources
- Office of Tribal Affairs National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, catalogues locations of ongoing environmental tribal activities.
- Native Diabetes Wellness Program The Native Diabetes Wellness Program works with a growing circle of partners to address the health inequities so starkly revealed by the number of people with diabetes in Indian Country.
- Office for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support (Tribal Support) Tribal Support activities focus on fulfilling CDC's supportive role in ensuring that American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities receive public health services that keep them safe and healthy.
- Office of Minority Health: American Indians and Alaska Natives Populations News Links from CDC, HHS, and others about American Indian and Alaska Native populations.
- Indian Health Surveillance Report: Sexually Transmitted Diseases 2009 [PDF - 3.22MB] This latest Indian Health Surveillance Report presents statistics and trends through 2009 for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) in the United States.
- American Indian Adult Tobacco Survey Implementation Manual This manual is a guidance tool for American Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and other organizations that want to implement the American Indian Adult Tobacco Survey (AI ATS).
Other Resources and Links
-
- Tribal Epidemiology Centers
Serves AI/AN tribal and urban Indian communities by investigating disease outbreaks; conducting disease surveillance; developing and implementing epidemiological studies and prevention programs; and coordinating activities with other public health authorities in the region. - South Dakota Tribal Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System
Information is available through the Northern Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center - Special issue: American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research Journal focuses on reproductive health.
This special journal issue focuses on reproductive health programs and issues affecting Native youth. - Research for MCH practice in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities
The Maternal and Child Health journal released a special supplement addressing AI/AN reproductive health. - American Indian Health, United States National Library of Medicine
- American Indian and Alaska Native Profiles, Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development AI/AN Publications Resource
- Sleep Safe Sleep for Your Baby AI/AN Brochure [PDF - 925KB]
- Healthy Native Babies Project Workbook and Toolkit [PDF - 3.59MB]
- Honor the Past, Learn for the Future: Reduce the Risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (AI/AN Outreach) [PDF -1.74MB]
- Native STAND: Students Together Against Negative Decisions
- Tribal Epidemiology Centers
- Page last reviewed: February 8, 2017
- Page last updated: February 8, 2017
- Content source: