Department of Defense Birth and Infant Health Registry: Annual Report on Birth Defects Among Infants Born to U.S. Military Families, January 1, 2000 Through December 31, 2000

摘要

The US Department of Defense (DoD) is challenged with monitoring and protecting the health and well-being of its service members. The growing number of women on active duty and the diverse hazardous exposures associated with military service make reproductive health issues a special concern. To address this concern, the DoD Birth and Infant Health Registry was established at the DoD Center for Deployment Health Research, located at the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego, California. The DoD Birth and Infant Health Registry captures comprehensive data on healthcare utilization to calculate the prevalence of birth defects among children born to military families. Population-based electronic surveillance is supplemented by active case validation efforts. In 2000, the DoD Birth and Infant Health Registry captured data on the 95,704 livebirths that occurred in US military families worldwide. This report presents detailed data on these infants using nationally standardized definitions for major congenital anomalies diagnosed before 1 year of age. These results complement civilian public health surveillance efforts and may be especially valuable to military members and their families.