title: Reproductive health surveillance in the US-Mexico border region, 2003-2006: the Brownsville-Matamoros Sister City Project for Women's Health.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  High birth and immigration rates in the US-Mexico border region have led to large population increases in recent decades. Two national, 10 state, and more than 100 local government entities deliver reproductive health services to the region's 14 million residents. Limited standardized information about health risks in this population hampers capacity to address local needs and assess effectiveness of public health programs.
  
  
  METHODS
  We worked with binational partners to develop a system for reproductive health surveillance in the sister communities of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, and Cameron County, Texas, as a model for a broader regional approach. We used a stratified, systematic cluster-sampling design to sample women giving birth in hospitals in each community during an 81-day period (August 21-November 9) in 2005. We conducted in-hospital computer-assisted personal interviews that addressed prenatal, behavioral, and lifestyle factors. We evaluated survey response rates, data quality, and other attributes of effective surveillance systems. We estimated population coverage using vital records data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 999 women sampled, 947 (95%) completed interviews, and the item nonresponse rate was low. The study sample included 92.7% of live births in Matamoros and 98.3% in Cameron County. Differences between percentage distributions of birth certificate characteristics in the study and target populations did not exceed 2.0. Study population coverage among hospitals ranged from 92.9% to 100.0%, averaging 97.3% in Matamoros and 97.4% in Cameron County.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results indicate that hospital-based sampling and postpartum interviewing constitute an effective approach to reproductive health surveillance. Such a system can yield valuable information for public health programs serving the growing US-Mexico border population.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Reproductive Health, 4770 Buford Hwy NE, Mailstop K-22, Atlanta, GA 30341-3724, USA. ezm5@cdc.gov
authors.forename: Jill A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.forename: Christopher H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Ruben
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Suzanne G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Folger
authors.forename: Ana L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Chavez
authors.forename: Ninad
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mishra
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hernández Jiménez
authors.forename: Linda R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: MacDonald
authors.forename: Jorge Sebastián
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Hernández Rodríguez
authors.forename: Susie Ann
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Villalobos
mesh_terms: D003625:Data Collection / Q000191:economics; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006739:Hospital Administration; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D008800:Mexico; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011159:Population Surveillance; D034121:Reproductive Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013781:Texas; D014932:Women's Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*
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