Advancing the Science of Birth Defects Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Prevention

摘要

In the November 2008 issue of Birth Defects Research Part A (BDRA), we present 11 original articles as well as an editorial on the epidemiological and methodological studies of birth defects. This issue and the December 2008 issue of BDRA constitute the 10th annual report of the National Birth Defects Prevention Network (NBDPN). The NBDPN remains committed to the primary prevention of birth defects and improvement of outcomes for children and families living with birth defects through the use of birth defects surveillance data for research, program planning, and program evaluation.It is our hope that the methods and findings from these articles will contribute to the continual improvement of the science and practice of birth defects surveillance and prevention in the United States and around the globe. The December 2008 issue provides a national perspective on state-level prevalences of specific birth defects in the United States. Collectively, the two issues of BDRA that constitute the NBDPN annual report highlight the progress made in applying birth defects surveillance data to our understanding of the epidemiology and public health significance of birth defects in the United States.