What is the Healthy Start Risk Screen?
Florida Statute 383.14 requires that all pregnant women be offered the Healthy Start Prenatal Risk Screening at their first or consequent prenatal visit and the Healthy Start Infant (Postnatal) Risk Screening be offered to parents or guardians of all infants born in Florida before leaving the delivery facility. Healthy Start risk screens identify risk factors so women and infants may be referred to services that complement and assure continued participation in prenatal and infant health care.

How were the screening forms developed?
The screening instruments were developed by a workgroup that included physicians, nurses, social workers, researchers, program specialists and other professionals knowledgeable in the field of maternal and child health. The tools were created after extensive research and analysis of risk factors and were later approved by a statewide advisory council.

Have the screens been evaluated for validity?
The risk screens have been evaluated to determine their success in identifying those women and infants most at risk for adverse outcomes. The evaluation process is ongoing to ensure effectiveness of the instrument.

Studies indicate that:
The Healthy Start Prenatal Screen is:

• Predictive of preterm birth (34 weeks since last menstrual period) and Low Birth Weight (<5.5 lbs)
  
• 48% of the women who had an adverse birth outcome had a positive screen
  
• Women with positive scores are 1.7 times or 70% more likely to experience preterm birth or to have a low birth weight infant.
  

The Healthy Start Infant (Postnatal) Screen is:

• Predictive of post-neonatal death (Infants who score 4 or more on the Healthy Start infant screen are 6 times as likely to die during the post- neonatal period than those who score less than 4)

The screening forms are available in English, Spanish and Creole.