MIHA Participants

Each year the MIHA survey is sent to a small number of people across California who recently had a live birth. If you were invited to do the MIHA survey, you can complete it online or by calling our interviewers at
(888) 614-0569. Answers to your questions or the MIHA resource list are available below. 

FAQs About the MIHA Survey

• What is MIHA?
• Who sponsors this survey?
• Who is selected for the survey? Where did you get my name?
• Did MIHA text or call me?
• How can I help?
  
• Is this survey available in Spanish?
• Where can I see results from this study?
• Will my survey answers really make a difference?
• What kind of information does MIHA collect? Some of the questions do not seem to be about health care - why are they asked?
• Will my answers be kept private?
• Where can I find the MIHA Resource List online?
• Who should I contact if I have any questions?

What is MIHA?

Each year since 1999, the Maternal and Infant Health Assessment, or MIHA, survey has been sent to a small number of people across California who recently had a live birth. MIHA includes questions about experiences before, during and shortly after pregnancy, and questions about their new baby. Data from MIHA are used to monitor the health of California's birthing population, and to inform the development of health policies and programs for California families. MIHA is a collaborative effort of the Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Division and the Center on Health Equity at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) .

Who sponsors this survey?

MIHA is a partnership between the Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Division and the University of California, San Francisco's Center for Health Equity.

UCSF has partnered with SSRS, a full service research company, to collect the data.

Who is selected for the survey? Where did you get my name?

If you have recently given birth, your name may be picked by chance, like in a lottery, from the state birth certificate registry. If you are chosen, you will receive a letter inviting you to do the MIHA survey online or by mail. You may be contacted by an interviewer to do the survey over the phone. Because you are one of a small number of people who were randomly chosen to participate, your answers are very important, and no one can take your place.

Did MIHA text or call me?

If you were picked to participate in MIHA, you might get a text message or phone call. The phone call will be from the San Francisco area code (415). You will see UCSF HEALTH on your caller ID.

How can I help?

If you were selected, you can complete the survey in one of three ways:

1. You can respond to the survey online.
2. You can respond to the survey over the telephone by calling one of our interviewers at
   (888) 614-0569.
3. You can fill out the paper survey that you have or will receive in the mail.

We offer a special gift to each participant who completes the survey.

Is this survey available in Spanish?

Yes, the survey is available in English and Spanish. You can answer the survey in Spanish online, over the phone with one of our Spanish-speaking interviewers, or on paper.

Where can I see results from this study?

You can explore MIHA results on the MIHA Data and Reports​ page or on the MIHA Data Snapshots Dashboard.

To keep current with the study, you can join the MIHA email list.

Will my survey answers really make a difference?

Yes! Only a small number of people will receive the survey each year. Each pregnancy is different and there's a lot we don't know about what affects health during pregnancy. To get a better overall picture of the health of California families, we need every person who receives the survey to complete it. Your answers may help improve the health of families in California in the future.

What kind of information does MIHA collect? Some of the questions do not seem to be about health care - why are they asked?

The MIHA survey collects information from participants about their experiences and behaviors before, during, and after their pregnancies that might affect their health and the health of their babies. Many different things in a person's life may affect their health and their baby's health — even some things that don't seem to be about pregnancy. Even events that happened before pregnancy can sometimes affect a pregnancy and the baby's health. The MIHA questions are designed to gather information about the many aspects of a person's life that can affect their health and the health of their baby.

Will my answers be kept private?

Yes. Your name and contact information have been used by our research team only to contact you. We will not connect them to your survey answers. The answers given by all the participants who respond to the survey will be grouped together to give us information on California overall. Information that identifies you will be kept secure. We do not ask about immigration status. Protecting your personal information is our highest priority.

Where can I find the MIHA Resource List online?

You can find the MIHA Resource List on this page.

Who should I contact if I have any questions?

If you have any questions, please email us at info@mihaforca.org or call our team at (888) 614-0569.

For information on your rights as a research participant, please call the Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects at (916) 651-5599.

Resource List

• English
  
• Spanish