CDC Maternal, Infant, and Child Health Programs and Activities

Below are selected programs and activities in which CDC is involved to improve maternal, infant, and child health.

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Maternal Health
Infant Health
Child Health

Maternal Health

Global Health
http://www.cdc.gov/ogh/
CDC/ATSDR’s Global Health Strategy acknowledges the active role CDC must assume to protect the US population and to help fulfill US global health commitments. It also stresses the importance of working in collaboration with partner organizations and of forming new partnerships as needed. Despite the health challenges facing the world at present, CDC believes that the current environment offers important opportunities for making a lasting improvement in global health for the benefit of the United States and the world as a whole.

Health Needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN)
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/aag/aag_drh.htm
AI/AN women are at greater risk of pregnancy complications and adverse pregnancy outcomes than most American women. CDC is collaborating with the Indian Health Service, AI/AN leaders, and other partners to lower this risk by promoting maternal and child health in AI/AN communities and developing a research agenda.

Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Program (MCH-EPI)
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/aag/aag_drh.htm
Through MCH-EPI, state and local health departments strengthen their ability to collect, analyze, and use data to develop health policies and programs for women, children, and families.

Pediatric and Pregnancy Nutrition Surveillance System
http://www.cdc.gov/pednss/
The Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System and the Pregnancy Surveillance System are program-based surveillance systems that monitor the nutritional status of low-income infants, children, and women in federally-funded maternal and child health programs.

Perinatal Depression Research: Safe Motherhood
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/aag/aag_drh.htm
During a series of meetings in 2002–2003, eight federal agencies and offices within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), led by the HHS Office on Women’s Health, established priorities for research to fill gaps in our knowledge of factors that affect maternal health. These agencies also made a commitment to coordinate their efforts to address these research issues.

Perinatal HIV Prevention Program
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/projects/perinatal/grantees.htm
CDC works with state and local health departments to support targeted efforts to reach pregnant women at high risk for HIV. Also, CDC provides funds to state and local health departments for enhanced perinatal surveillance activities, including supplemental reviews of medical records of mother/infant pairs to assess counseling and testing, prenatal care, and treatment, longitudinal follow-up to assess infection status of infants, initiation of HIV-related care, and long-term outcomes.

Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS)
http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/srv_prams.htm
PRAMS is a surveillance project of the CDC and state health departments. PRAMS collects state-specific, population-based data on maternal attitudes and experiences prior to, during, and immediately following pregnancy.

Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) Generic Training Package
http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/od/gap/pmtct/
The Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission Generic Training Package was developed by the World Health Organization and the CDC. Recognizing that building human capacity requires collaboration at multiple levels and across organizations, the curriculum is designed to support the scale up of PMTCT services and assist in unifying and strengthening existing PMTCT training efforts.

Reproductive Health Surveys
http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/global.htm
CDC provides technical assistance with population-based surveys that help the United States Agency for International Development, Ministries of Health, international donor organizations, and nongovernmental organizations to assess program needs and monitor program performance and impact over time. CDC has been providing technical assistance for such surveys since 1975, and has helped to carry out reproductive health surveys in Latin America, the Caribbean, Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Africa, and the Middle East. CDC trains its host counterparts in all aspects of survey implementation.

Smokeless Tobacco Use during Pregnancy: Safe Motherhood
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/aag/aag_drh.htm
In response to the growing perception that using smokeless tobacco is safer than smoking, CDC is exploring the effects of smokeless tobacco use on pregnancy.

West Africa Network against Malaria During Pregnancy
http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/cdcactivities/raopag.htm
CDC has been working with a variety of partners to strengthen subregional efforts to control malaria during pregnancy in West Africa.

Workplace Reproductive Hazards
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/women/
CDC conducts both basic research and population-based studies to learn whether women may be at risk for reproductive health hazards related to their work environment.

Infant Health

CDC’s Proposed Health Protection Goals: Infants and Toddlers (Ages 0-3)
http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/ProtectingHealth_ForLife_04.pdf
In fiscal year 2004, CDC was able to invest $1.67B in research and frontline programs to keep babies and toddlers healthy — about 23% of our $7B budget. Proposed health protection goals include:

• The U.S. is 1 of 5 countries with the highest rates of infant survival.
• At least 99% of infants and toddlers are in very good or excellent health.
• At least 90% of infants and toddlers with developmental conditions are promptly identified and treated.
• Mortality from injuries and other causes is reduced 25% among children 1–3 years, saving at least 1,000 lives per year.

Birth Defects
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/funding.htm
CDC currently funds projects related to autism, parenting, health promotion for persons with disabilities, fetal alcohol syndrome, and more. See also:

Birth Defects Topics
http://www.cdc.gov/node.do/id/0900f3ec8000dffe

Disabilities
http://www.cdc.gov/node.do/id/0900f3ec8000e01a
The CDC works to identify the causes of birth defects and developmental disabilities, help children to develop and reach their full potential, and promote health and well-being among people of all ages with disabilities.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Safe Motherhood
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/aag/aag_drh.htm
SIDS remains the leading cause of death among infants (aged 1–12 months). CDC is investigating reasons for the racial disparities in SIDS rates. In addition, CDC is collaborating with experts to improve the consistency of SIDS diagnoses by revising national guidelines for investigating sudden, unexplained infant deaths.

Child Health

CDC’s Proposed Health Protection Goals: Children (Ages 4-11)
http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/ProtectingHealth_ForLife_04.pdf
In fiscal year 2004, CDC invested $543M in children ages 4-11. Our research and programs focus on the here and now as well as the future: reducing preventable injuries and other leading causes of death and laying the groundwork for healthy adulthood through good nutrition, physical activity, and other health-protective behaviors, including abstaining from sex, drugs, and alcohol. Proposed health protection goals include:

• At least 95% of children are in very good or excellent health.
• At least 95% of children have a healthy weight.
• At least 95% of children have no limitations in activity due to a chronic physical, mental, or emotional problem.
• Mortality from injuries and other causes is reduced 25%, saving at least an additional 1,000 lives per year.

Bone Health Campaign: Powerful Bones. Powerful Girls.^TM
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bonehealth/campaign.htm
This national campaign educates and encourages girls aged 9 to 12 years to establish lifelong, healthy habits that build and maintain strong bones.

Healthy Schools, Healthy Youth
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/
CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health seeks to prevent the most serious health risk behaviors among children, adolescents and young adults. To accomplish this mission DASH implements four strategies.

Immunizations
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/
The National Immunization Program works to prevent disease, disability, and death in children and adults through vaccination.

Malaria and Other Diseases
http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/
Infectious diseases are a leading but preventable cause of disease and death in African children.

Physical Activity: VERB Campaign
http://www.cdc.gov/youthcampaign/
The VERB campaign encourages young people ages 9–13 (tweens) years to be physically active every day.

Smoking and Tobacco
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/mission.htm
CDC is responsible for leading and coordinating strategic efforts aimed at preventing tobacco use among youth, promoting smoking cessation among youth and adults, protecting nonsmokers from environmental tobacco smoke, and eliminating tobacco-related health disparities. See also:
Tips for Youth
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/tips4youth.htm

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This page last reviewed April 15, 2005
This page last updated March 12, 2008
URL: http://www.cdc.gov/women/owh/worldhd/links.htm

US Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Office of Women's Health