When you think about maternal health, how often do you picture someone in a car? I most often think about doctor’s visits, nutrition, birthing and breastfeeding.
A multi-partner initiative in Iowa recently looked at data from a state Maternal Mortality Review (MMR). They realized that 18% of Iowa’s maternal deaths were from car crashes and 71% of the women who died in these accidents were not wearing seat belts.
The group convened stakeholders to initiate a seat belt safety awareness social media campaign, developing billboards and conducting online outreach. Iowa’s approach to using MMR data to guide innovative public health campaigns is an important lesson for all maternal health advocates. Learn more about the steps they took to save moms’ lives throughout the state with this campaign.
About MHLIC Spark Sessions:
At the 2020 National Maternal Health Innovation Symposium, MHLIC shared over 20 Spark Session videos. These are a curated collection of brief presentations detailing innovative maternal health programs, policies, or strategies from around the nation. The goal was not only to share examples of creative work by others in maternal health but to “spark” ideas in viewers about how you might do something new or differently in your own work. You can view many of these innovative programs in our resource center or read about them in our blog.