Write 1 paragraph briefly describing the article. Include relevant info about the data:

• Data source (e.g. survey, registry data, primary study data)
• Dates data was collected
• Primary population being studied
• Rationale for the study; primary hypothesis/es and outcomes

Write 1 paragraph about the role statisticsplayedin the article. Include:

• Methods used (1-2 sentences)
• Overview of primary results (1-2 sentences)
• Importance, limitations, implications, future research directions (1-2 sentences)
• Get creative here. I want to hearyourvoice, not the authors of the paper. Discuss primary results and any compelling statistics. Other considerations:
• Were any results confusing? Were graphs or figures used that aided interpretation? Any important caveats?
• Could the researchers have reached their conclusion(s) without statistics? What are the implications of the study at the: policy level? Community level? Hospital level? Future research needs or gaps identified

Maternal and Infant Health in the 21st century & two sample hypothesis testing

The past decade has seen significant reductions in the number of infants born with neural tube defects (NTDs) and expansion of screening of newborns for metabolic and other heritable disorders. Mandatory folic acid fortification of cereal grain products labeled as enriched in the United States beginning in 1998 contributed to a 36% reduction in NTDs from 1996 to 2006 and prevented an estimated 10,000 NTD-affected pregnancies in the past decade, resulting in a savings of $4.7 billion in direct costs. Improvements in technology and endorsement of a uniform newborn-screening panel of diseases have led to earlier life-saving treatment and intervention for at least 3,400 additional newborns each year with selected genetic and endocrine disorders. In 2003, all but four states were screening for only six of these disorders. By April 2011, all states reported screening for at least 26 disorders on an expanded and standardized uniform panel. Newborn screening for hearing loss increased from 46.5% in 1999 to 96.9% in 2008. The percentage of infants not passing their hearing screening who were then diagnosed by an audiologist before age 3 months as either normal or having permanent hearing loss increased from 51.8% in 1999 to 68.1 in 2008.