August 2016

Overview

Improving the well-being of mothers, infants, and children is an important public health goal for the United States.¹ The objectives of the Maternal, Infant, and Child Health topic area address a wide range of conditions, health behaviors, and health systems indicators that affect the health, wellness, and quality of life of women, children, and families.¹

In 2014, there were almost 4 million live births in the United States. Although most newborns grow and thrive, more than 23,000 infants died in 2014. For every 1,000 infants born, 6 die before their first birthday.² The 5 leading causes of infant death are birth defects, preterm birth or low birth weight, maternal complications of pregnancy, sudden infant death syndrome, and unintentional injuries.²

Understanding the many factors that affect women, infants, and children—both negatively and positively—is key to improving the health of all Americans, particularly the next generation.³

Learn More About Maternal, Infant, and Child Health

Maternal, Infant, and Child Health and the Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act expanded access to recommended preventive services for women and children. These services:

• Allow women to get the support and services they need to maintain healthy pregnancies, which leads to improved birth outcomes
• Provide screening services for children that monitor and address healthy development

Most health insurance covers preventive services without a copay or deductible. For women and children, these include well woman visits, breast and cervical cancer screenings, gestational diabetes screening, certain behavioral assessments, developmental screenings, immunizations, and breastfeeding support, supplies, and counseling. In addition to preventive services, most health insurance must provide coverage for pregnancy, maternity, and newborn care as an essential health benefit.

In addition to offering expanded benefits, the ACA also made it easier to transition into coverage when a woman has a baby through Special Enrollment Periods. This means that after a woman has her baby she can enroll in or change Marketplace coverage even if it’s outside the Open Enrollment period. When enrolling in a new plan, mothers can get coverage for their babies from the day they are born.

To learn more about how the Affordable Care Act is promoting prevention and wellness for women and children, please visit healthcare.gov.

Leading Health Indicators

Leading Health Indicators (LHIs) are critical health issues that—if tackled appropriately—will dramatically reduce the leading causes of death and preventable illnesses. The Maternal, Infant, and Child Health LHIs are:

• All infant deaths (MICH-1.3)
• Total preterm live births (MICH-9.1)

Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going

From 2003 to 2013, the infant mortality rate decreased by 11.8%, from 6.8 to 6.0 deaths under 1 year of age per 1,000 live births in 2013, meeting the Healthy People 2020 target. In 2013, several groups in selected demographic categories had the lowest rate of infant deaths, including infants born to Asian or Pacific Islander mothers, infants born to mothers aged 30–34 years, and infants weighing 2,500g or more at birth.

Between 2004 and 2014, the percent of live births that were delivered preterm (less than 37 completed weeks of gestation) decreased by 9.6%, from 12.5% of live births to 11.3%. The percent of infants born preterm increased by 36.2% from 1981 to 2006, but decreased each year from 2007 to 2014, meeting the Healthy People 2020 target in 2013.

Who’s Leading the Leading Health Indicators?

1,000 Grandmothers Project helps 4 tribes increase knowledge of safe infant sleep practices

The International Association for Indigenous Aging’s 1,000 Grandmothers Project engaged Native elders (grandparents and specifically grandmothers) in reducing the rate of SUIDs by educating and mentoring young Native parents or future parents about safe sleep practices for infants during traditional activities.⁴ The pilot program was based on Healthy Native Babies, an evidence-based curriculum on safe infant sleep practices developed by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health. Pre- and post-testing of the pilot project revealed a 90-point increase in knowledge of SUIDs and safe sleep practices after participants completed a 5-session program.

Read the Full Story

Leading Health Indicator Infographic

¹ https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/maternal-infant-and-child-health

² http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/aag/infant-health.htm

³ https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/leading-health-indicators/2020-lhi-topics/Maternal-Infant-and-Child-Health/determinants

⁴ 1000 Grandmothers SUID Final Report

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