Geocoding capacity of birth defects surveillance programs: results from the National Birth Defects Prevention Network Geocoding Survey.

A Web-based survey focusing on geocoding of birth defects data was developed and administrated to gain an understanding of the capacity of state birth defects programs to geocode maternal residence and to identify barriers to geocoding birth defects data. The survey consisted of 21 questions related to geocoding of maternal residence, type of software used, barriers to geocoding, and data linkage. In August 2007, an e-mail with a Web link to the survey was sent to all state birth defects program contacts in the United States, including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requesting they complete the online survey. By October 2007, 39 (74%) out of 53 birth defects program contacts completed the survey. Although nearly all birth defects programs collect maternal residential data, many are not currently geocoding that data. Results indicated that 97% of the programs that completed the survey reported they collected data on maternal residence, 53% of which reported that the birth defects surveillance data were geocoded to the street address level using maternal residential address at delivery. Twenty six percent of the programs that do not currently geocode the data identified "Software and address reference file are not available" as the most significant barrier to geocoding; another 16% chose "Lack of funding" as the most significant barrier to geocoding. Since geocoding is an important component of spatial analyses used to detect potential clusters of birth defects, leveraging resources to overcome the barriers that prevent programs from geocoding is important.

Case fatality among infants with congenital malformations by lethality.

OBJECTIVE: Infant mortality rates continue to show that congenital anomalies are the leading cause of infant death in the United States. However, studies of factors contributing to increased mortality across different types of congenital anomalies have been limited. The objective of this study was to assess whether the likelihood of infant mortality varied by maternal race and ethnic group while considering the severity of the birth defect. METHODS: A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted using data from Colorado's statewide, population-based birth defects surveillance system (CRCSN). The cohort included infants, born between 1995 and 2000 to Colorado resident mothers, who were diagnosed with major congenital malformations stratified by degree of lethality. Multiple logistic regression was performed for each level of lethality, and included the following potential explanatory variables: maternal race/ethnicity, clinical gestation, birth weight, maternal education level, maternal age, and sex of child. RESULTS: Within the low/very low lethality cohort, maternal race/ethnicity of Black/non-Hispanic was associated with increased risk of infant mortality, OR 2.81 (1.41-5.19), as were low and very low birth weight, OR 2.21 (1.12-4.04) and 19.31 (11.84-31.01), respectively. Maternal race/ethnicity was not a significant risk factor in either high or very high lethality groups; however, the interaction between birth weight and gestational age significantly increased the risk of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Through the use of statewide, population-based birth defects surveillance data, a disparity in infant mortality has been identified in a specific subset of the population that could be investigated further and targeted for prevention activities.