Alaska Longitudinal Child Abuse and Neglect Linkage Project (ALCANLink)
Connecting data to guide programs and improve the health of Alaska families
Who we are
ALCANLink is a novel population-based initiative led by the Maternal Child Health Epidemiology unit within the Division of Public Health. ALCANLink follows Alaskan children whose mothers participated in the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) survey after giving birth between 2009 and 2021. During this time, nearly 14,500 mothers participated, representing just over 136,000 births. Each year, project analysts link PRAMS data with administrative records from multiple agencies to better understand child well-being over time. Key partners include the Department of Family and Community Services, the Department of Education and Early Development, and the Department of Revenue.
What we do
ALCANLink studies how factors from before birth through childhood influence child wellbeing in Alaska. Initially focused on child maltreatment, the project links PRAMS responses with administrative data from child welfare, health, education and vital records. These linkages using pre-existing data allow analysts to efficiently identify risk and protective factors, estimate cumulative incidence, and assess long-term outcomes such as school readiness, vaccine completion, and involvement with the child welfare system. This work provides critical insights to help guide prevention programs tailored to Alaska’s children.