Research Article

The 2007 Los Angeles Mommy and Baby Study: A Multilevel, Population-Based Study of Maternal and Infant Health in Los Angeles County

Table 1

Overview of key measures and data sources in 2007 LAMB survey.

Time periodVariable Measures/data sources

Preconception variablesInsurance status and type of insuranceCenter of Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) [5]; LAMB study team
Interaction with healthcare professional to prepare for pregnancyLAMB study team
Content of preconception care counselingLAMB study team
Health conditionsPRAMS; LAMB study team
Tobacco useLAMB study team
Folic acid/multivitamin useModified from PRAMS
Pregnancy intention and partner pregnancy intentionModified from PRAMS
Birth control and emergency contraception useModified from PRAMS; LAMB study team
Gravidity and parityLAMB study team
Previous pregnancy and birth outcomesPRAMS; LAMB study team

Pregnancy variablesMaternal stress (i.e., perceived stress and stressful life events)9-item version of Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) [38]; PRAMS Life Events List
Maternal internal resources (i.e., self-esteem and mastery)3-item Rosenberg short form [39]; 4-item Pearlin short form [39]
Job strainSubscale of Karasek’s Job Content Questionnaire [40]; unemployment rate item from ACS
Maternal behaviors (i.e., smoking, alcohol use, and drug use)PRAMS; 2005 California Maternal and Infant Health Assessment (MIHA) [4]; National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) [41]
Food insecurityCore Food Security Module (CFSM) [42]
Partner conflictMarital Strain Scale (MSS) [43]
Partner support/involvementFragile Families Study (FFS) [44]; Early Head Start Evaluation [45]
Partner violenceAbuse Assessment Screen (AAS) [46]
Social network supportPRAMS
Racial discriminationDeveloped by Krieger (1990) [47] and modified by Collins and David (1997) [18] to assess pregnancy and lifetime exposures to interpersonal racial discrimination
Healthcare content, access, and qualityStructure was measured by access and availability of services with items developed by the LAMB study team; process was measured by content with items from National Maternal and Infant Health Survey (NMIHS) [48]; adequacy of prenatal care was measured with items from the Adequacy of Prenatal Care Utilization (APNCU) Index [49]; commuting characteristics items from ACS
Pregnancy complicationsPRAMS; LAMB study team; 2007 California birth certificate data
Neighborhood supportProject on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN) [19]
Neighborhood servicesLAMB study team; availability of parks, crime rate, and mortgage status items from ACS

Postpartum variablesBirth outcomes (LBW, PTB)California birth certificate data
Quality of healthcare during deliveryItem developed by LAMB study team
BreastfeedingModified from PRAMS; LAMB study team
Baby sleeping pattern/cosleepingPRAMS; LAMB study team
Well-baby checkupLAMB study team
Postpartum checkupPRAMS; LAMB study team
Partner violenceAbuse Assessment Screen; ACS
Postpartum depressionModified from Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) [50]
Contraception usePRAMS

General: demographic data Annual household incomeLAMB study team
Median household incomeAmerican Community Survey (ACS) [51]
Immigration (i.e., length of residence in the US)LAMB study team
Acculturation (i.e., language spoken at home, nativity)ACS
Maternal education2007 California birth certificate data
Race/ethnicity2007 California birth certificate data
Marital status with baby’s fatherPRAMS
OccupationCensus data