title: From Theory to Measurement: Recommended State MCH Life Course Indicators.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In May 2012, the Association of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Programs initiated a project to develop indicators for use at a state or community level to assess, monitor, and evaluate the application of life course principles to public health.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a developmental framework established by a national expert panel, teams of program leaders, epidemiologists, and academicians from seven states proposed indicators for initial consideration. More than 400 indicators were initially proposed, 102 were selected for full assessment and review, and 59 were selected for final recommendation as Maternal and Child Health (MCH) life course indicators.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Each indicator was assessed on five core features of a life course approach: equity, resource realignment, impact, intergenerational wellness, and life course evidence. Indicators were also assessed on three data criteria: quality, availability, and simplicity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These indicators represent a major step toward the translation of the life course perspective from theory to application. MCH programs implementing program and policy changes guided by the life course framework can use these initial measures to assess and influence their approaches.
authors.affiliation: Field Services Office, Office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dekalb County, GA, USA. tegan.callahan@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Tegan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Callahan
authors.affiliation: Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stampfel
authors.affiliation: Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Andria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cornell
authors.affiliation: Office of Data Translation, Bureau of Family Health and Nutrition, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Hafsatou
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Diop
authors.affiliation: Lifespan Health Services Unit, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Lincoln, NE, USA.
authors.forename: Debora
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Barnes-Josiah
authors.affiliation: Field Support Branch, Division of Reproductive Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dekalb County, GA, USA.|Bureau of Family Health, Division of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention, Iowa Department of Public Health, Des Moines, IA, USA.
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kane
authors.affiliation: Women's and Children's Health Section, Division of Public Health, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Raleigh, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mccracken
authors.affiliation: Maternal Child Health Epidemiology Unit, Lifecourse Epidemiology and Genomics Division, Michigan Department of Community Health, Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McKane
authors.affiliation: Field Support Branch, Division of Reproductive Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dekalb County, GA, USA.|Division of Community Health Promotion, Florida Department of Health, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Ghasi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Theall
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Cheri
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pies
authors.affiliation: College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sappenfield
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005260:Female; D006284:Health Plan Implementation / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008430:Maternal-Child Health Centers / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D011634:Public Health; D062486:Public Health Surveillance / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Health indicators; Life course; Maternal and child health; Public health surveillance; Reproductive health