Data Sources

Texas Vital Statistics (VSTAT)
National Center for Health Statistics
CDC Wonder
Texas Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS)

Data Description

DSHS combines different data sources across many years to provide an overview of Texas maternal and infant health. The data support programs and policymakers to monitor trends and make decisions to improve the health of Texas mothers and babies.

Because of rounding, some numbers in figures, graphs, or written results may not add to the total amount. Data and results are based on the most recent data available. The dashboard is updated annually.

Confidence Interval (CI): This dashboard reports percentages with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals from the Texas PRAMS survey. A confidence interval measures the precision of an estimate, such as a percentage. A CI is a range with an upper and lower number. The true population value is supposed to fall within the range of numbers. A 95% confidence interval means there is a 95% chance the true population value falls within that range. Smaller ranges mean the estimate is more precise while larger ranges mean the estimate is less precise. DSHS recommends reporting all PRAMS percentages with their 95% confidence interval

Race and Ethnicity: Race or ethnicity information shown in the dashboard refers to the mother, not the infant. Women who identified themselves as Hispanic were classified as Hispanic regardless of race. Women who did not identify as Hispanic were classified as non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, or non-Hispanic Other. The non-Hispanic Other category includes Native American, Asian, or multiracial.

Additional Information

United States Department of Health and Human Services (US DHHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Division of Vital Statistics. Natality public-use data 2016-2020, on CDC WONDER Online Database. Retrieved from wonder.cdc.gov/natality-expanded-current.html [Accessed November 4, 2021].

Hamilton BE, Martin JA, Osterman MJK. Births: Provisional data for 2021. Vital Statistics Rapid Release; no 20. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. May 2022. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc:116027.

Healthy People 2030, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, United States Department of Health and Human Services. Reduce cesarean births among low-risk women with no prior births – MICH-06. Retrieved from health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/pregnancy-and-childbirth/reduce-cesarean-births-among-low-risk-women-no-prior-births-mich-06 [Accessed January 5, 2023]

McKinney, J., Keyser, L., Clinton, S., & Pagliano, C. (2018). ACOG Committee Opinion No. 736: optimizing postpartum care. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 132(3), 784-785.

Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (2019). Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health online, interactive data query estimate suppression and precision alert criteria for the National Survey of Children’s Health. Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB).