Data & Research

We conduct research and analysis, collect data, and build the capacity of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) researchers to equip decision-making at the national, state, and local levels. We use data to:

• Monitor and improve our programs’ performance
• Track improvements and gaps in the health and well-being of mothers, children, and families
• Decide where and how to direct our funding
• Measure disparities and advance equity by collecting data on different demographic factors, like race and income, disability and health status

Our approach

We provide leadership for Maternal and Child Health (MCH) research by:

• Funding projects to advance national MCH research priorities
• Responding to emerging issues affecting MCH populations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic
• Bringing together researchers from different MCH specialties and geographic regions into MCH research networks
• Training MCH professionals as researchers and data users to inform decision-making

Our investments

• Funding researchers to explore how families, neighborhoods, health care services, and health policies affect maternal and child health
  
  Details about our research networks and projects
  
  Attend a pre-application Technical Assistance (TA) webinar
• Conducting our own research to understand the patterns and causes of health issues, identifying groups of people who are at increased risk of poor health outcomes, and supporting program approaches that improve MCH
• Strengthening state data capacity to improve measurement, analysis, and data linkages for the Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant and other investments

Our funded data collection

We take a lead role within HRSA and the federal government to:

• Provide annual data on the health and well-being of U.S. children, age 0-17 years. We do this by funding and directing the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH)
• Provide data on the health and well-being of mothers and children in the five U.S. territories and three freely associated states in the Pacific through the Maternal and Child Health Jurisdictional Survey (MCH-JS)

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we

• Added questions to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, the NSCH, and the MCH-JS to monitor the pandemic’s effects on children’s health care and child care
• Worked with the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) to analyze trends in data about children’s admissions to emergency departments during the pandemic
• Initiated a longitudinal cohort study to assess the long-term effects of the pandemic on children and their families

Our program performance data

We collect and analyze data to monitor our programs’ progress and performance as they work to improve maternal and child health outcomes.

• Title V Information System (TVIS) collects and displays data from Title V MCH Block Grant awardees including the Title V National Outcome Measures and National Performance Measures
• Discretionary Grant Information System (DGIS) collects data related to grants that are awarded based on merit and eligibility
• Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Performance Reporting and Evaluation collects data from MIECHV Program awardees

Publicly-available data and research

Researchers, policymakers, advocates, states, and local communities use our data and research to understand the needs of children, women and mothers, and families to improve how they meet those needs.

• Data Resource Center for Child & Adolescent Health
• Strengthening the Evidence Base for Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Programs
• NewSteps Data Resources
• Selected peer-reviewed NSCH publications by MCHB staff
• Selected peer-reviewed publications by MCHB-funded researchers
• Archive of chartbooks with national and state data

Webinars, conferences, and training courses to develop the MCH workforce

We offer opportunities to help MCH professionals develop research and epidemiological skills.

• Engaging Research Innovation and Challenges (EnRICH) webinars
• Graduate Student Epidemiology Program (GSEP)
• MCH Epidemiology Conference
• MCH Epidemiology Training Course
• Centers for Excellence in MCH Education, Science, and Practice
• MCH Epidemiology Doctoral Training
• Strengthening the MCH Public Health Academic Pipeline

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