Background:
Tabular data can convey information concisely. However, many decision makers may not absorb information from tables, particularly if geographic location or changes over time are also important, such as for targeting resources.

Objectives:
Determine whether maps and tables effectively convey comparisons by location, changes over time, and for targeting groups for preconception care.

Methods:
The California Department of Health Services, of which this program is now in the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), funded grants for teen pregnancy prevention programs in 2002. One criterion for obtaining a grant was that the applicant would serve statistically significant teen birth rate “hot spots” that the state had mapped for over 112,000 teen births that occurred in 1999 and 2000. The CDPH recently mapped sub-county areas by teen birth rates for 2000-2001 and 2004-2005. Maps were created using identical ranges of teen birth rates for the two time periods and selected racial and ethnic groups.

Results:
Time-lapse maps immediately showed that racial and ethnic groups varied greatly in their teen birth rates, geographic distribution, and changes over time. Tables added critical information.

Conclusion and implications for practice:
Coupling detailed time-lapse maps with tabular data provide locations and target groups for which preconception care and pregnancy-prevention efforts might be most beneficial and provide data to evaluate program effectiveness. The use of maps with quantitative data allow comparisons across location, time, and racial and ethnic group. This approach has implications for how preconception care and public health programs can be targeted and evaluated.