Research Article The 2007 Los Angeles Mommy and Baby Study: A Multilevel, Population-Based Study of Maternal and Infant Health in Los Angeles County Shin M. Chao, 1 Fathima Wakeel, 2 Dena Herman, 3 Chandra Higgins, 1 Lu Shi, 4 Jessica Chow, 5 Stacy Sun, 6 and Michael C. Lu 7 1 Research, Evaluation and Planning Division, Los Angeles County Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Programs, 600 Commonwealth Avenue, 8th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA 2 Ferris State University College of Health Professions, 200 Ferris Drive, VFS 428, Big Rapids, MI 49307, USA 3 Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, California State University, Northridge, 18111 Nordhof Street, Northridge, CA 91330, USA 4 Clemson University Department of Public Health Sciences, 505 Edwards Hall, Clemson, SC 29634, USA 5 University of California, Berkeley-San Francisco Joint Medical Program, 50 University Hall, No. 7360, San Francisco, CA 94720, USA 6 Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 North Wolfe Street, Phipps 279, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA 7 University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Public Health, 650 Charles E. Young Dr. South, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA Correspondence should be addressed to Shin M. Chao; schao@ph.lacounty.gov Received 26 August 2014; Revised 12 November 2014; Accepted 16 November 2014; Published 11 December 2014 Academic Editor: John Iskander Copyright © 2014 Shin M. Chao et al. his is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Objectives. In order to comprehensively examine the risks and resources associated with racial-ethnic disparities in adverse obstetric outcomes, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the University of California, Los Angeles, joined eforts to design and implement the 2007 Los Angeles Mommy and Baby (LAMB) study. his paper aims to present the conceptual frameworks underlying the study’s development, highlight the successful collaboration between a research institution and local health department, describe the distinguishing characteristics of its methodology, and discuss the study’s implications for research, programs, and policies. Methods. he LAMB study utilized a multilevel, multistage cluster design with a mixed-mode methodology for data collection. Two samples were ultimately produced: the multilevel sample (n = 4,518) and the augmented inal sample (n = 6,264). Results. he LAMB study allowed us to collect multilevel data on the risks and resources associated with racial-ethnic disparities in adverse obstetric outcomes. Both samples were more likely to be Hispanic, aged 20–34 years, completed at least 12 years of schooling, and spoke English. Conclusions. he LAMB study represents the successful collaboration between an academic institution and local health department and is a theoretically based research database and surveillance system that informs efective programmatic and policy interventions to improve outcomes among LAC’s varied demographic groups. 1. Introduction In Los Angeles County (LAC), one of the most populous and diverse counties in the country [1–3], there are signiicant geographic and racial-ethnic disparities in the prevalence of infant mortality and adverse obstetric outcomes, speciically low birth weight (LBW) and preterm birth (PTB) [3]. His- torically, the LAC Department of Public Health (LACDPH) Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Programs lacked surveillance data on LAC mothers. MCAH used vital records data to monitor infant health, implement programs, and plan services. he data, however, did not identify the multifaceted reasons for diferences across groups or county regions. he statewide Maternal and Infant Health Assess- ment (MIHA) [4], California’s version of the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring Study (PRAMS) [5], also focused Hindawi Publishing Corporation Advances in Preventive Medicine Volume 2014, Article ID 293648, 9 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/293648