Shinono, P. H., Behrman, R E. 1995. The Future of Children , Vol. 5, No. 1, 4-18. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 1997. Maternal and Child Health Model Indicators . Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Division of Science, Education and Analysis.
Birth certificates are the source of most of the data.
For some of the data items, there is a large proportion of birth certificates where the data is missing or is not accurate. Some critical data is not available, such as nutrition data that would give folic acid awareness and intake, and anemia incidence and interventions. Risk data is not available for all pregnant women. It is also difficult to measure the quality of care given at prenatal visits.