Healthy Babies Are Worth the Wait®: A Collaborative Partnership to Reduce Preterm Births in Kentucky through Community-based Interventions 2007 – 2009 provides readers with an overview of the problem of preterm birth in the US, also describing in detail the design, implementation, evaluation, and outcomes of the Healthy Babies Are Worth the Wait initiative conducted in Kentucky between 2007 and 2009.

The reader will learn about a unique research approach employing a mixed ecologic design that compared outcomes between intervention sites and comparison sites and the use of qualitative surveys and quantitative methods using state vital records data to evaluate outcomes.

Consumer messaging and educational materials are discussed, along with the challenges of implementation and key lessons learned.