What would it look like if a free and easy-to-use platform was available that mapped preterm birth patterns by geography?
Mapping Preterm Birth Outcomes
We were thrilled to partner with UC San Diego and Qualcomm Institute (QI) to created an interactive map of preterm births and potential environmental and social drivers across Fresno County in Central California and the Bay Area.
Under study lead Marta Jankowska, research analyst Jessica Block and postdoctoral scholar Jiue-An Yang, all at QI, the team worked closely with the respective communities, including mothers who had given birth prematurely, to identify possible causes. Their finished product is an interactive, online mapping tool that provides the public and policymakers with visualizations of neighborhoods with low to high rates of preterm birth, compared to stressors in the surrounding area.
At the direction of PTBi and partners in the local community, the QI team examined state-provided data on preterm birth rates in each geography and open-source data of potential drivers in the natural and manmade environment. Possible drivers included the availability of health care and insurance coverage, demographic and socioeconomic factors, pollution, health risks, food environment and environmental features like open space or access to parks.
The research in Fresno has already highlighted some interesting trends. In a study published with the Journal of Epidemiological Research in fall 2018, PTBi researchers found that black women and women with infections, hypertension, diabetes, previous preterm deliveries or fewer than six months between pregnancies had a higher risk of delivering prematurely, regardless of where they lived. Conversely, women who accessed prenatal health care more frequently and who participated in the Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC) were less likely to give birth prematurely.
Watch a Training on How to Use the Mapping Tool
“Geospatial exploratory data analysis is a really useful toolset that could help researchers and stakeholders study preterm birth. We hope that being able to visualize patterns through this user-friendly interactive site will support the Fresno community’s understanding of what might drive preterm births, and take action.”
- Marta Jankowska, Principal Investigator pictured in orange.
Pictured: Mapping team with community participants
Preterm Birth Mapping News and Updates
Preterm Birth Mapping Publications
- Comparison of risk and protective factors for preterm birth in rural, suburban, and urban Fresno County, California, Journal of Epidemiological Research, 2019
- Data Visualization Tool to Relate Preterm Births to Environmental Factors, Preventing Chronic Disease, 2019
