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In his hit song, "Baby By Me," rapper 50 Cent tells women, "Have a baby by me ... be a millionaire."

An Upper Marlboro-based health provider hopes to encourage women in Prince George's County to consider how such songs influence their decisions when it comes to sexual activity.

The interactive presentation that Greater Baden Medical Services plans to show teen parents and adults, entitled "Health Education in a Hip-Hop World," covers the basics of preconception and prenatal health and explores how popular songs and culture define attitudes toward pregnancy, parenthood and sexual health.

Staff members say their goal is not to judge the participants' taste in music, adding that some of the songs can be positive, others can be negative, and still others can be a mix of both. They want the women to explore the messages the music contains and discuss what it means to them.

"We want to help spread the word in a different way to help catch their eye," said Cynthia Duvall, a case manager for Greater Baden Medical Services and one of the leading forces behind the program.

Throughout March, staff will show the presentation to pregnant teens and teen parents at Prince George's County public high schools.

In the coming months, officials also are planning events at community centers and other local venues to reach county women of childbearing age, typically between the ages of 18 and 40, although dates for those events haven't been scheduled yet, Duvall said.

The long-term goal of the program is to bring down infant-mortality rates by encouraging women to make informed, healthy decisions before they get pregnant and throughout the course of their pregnancy, said Rachel E. Smith, program director for Greater Baden Medical Services.

The program will be supported by a $12,000 grant from the National Capital Area chapter of the March of Dimes Foundation, a nonprofit group that promotes pregnancy and infant health.

The nonprofit announced Feb. 17 that Greater Baden Medical Services was one of 10 organizations in the metropolitan region — and the only one from Prince George's County — to receive a grant this year.

Throughout the presentation, participants will listen to clips of songs by artists as diverse as 50 Cent and R&B crooner Toni Braxton and then discuss what message the songs send about sex and relationships.

"It's just important to get them to think," said Justin Britanik, a program staff member who also worked on the presentation.

According to the most recent statistics from the Maryland Vital Statistics Administration, the infant-mortality rate in Prince George's County in 2008 was 10.9 percent, compared with 8 percent in Maryland.

Although the higher rate has no one identifiable cause, Dona Dei, a program director for the local March of Dimes chapter, said higher infant-mortality rates often are related to pre-existing health problems.

Predominantly black communities historically have poorer pregnancy outcomes, which made it especially important for the group to support a program in Prince George's County, Dei said.

"We see more diabetes and heart disease and problems that can impact the pregnancy or the health of a woman prior to getting pregnant," Dei said.

Officials also want to teach women about the importance of practicing safe sexual activity, since sexually transmitted infections and diseases can affect pregnancy outcomes, Duvall said.

"I think women want to be healthy ... but sometimes they're unsure or don't have the education in terms of what to do," she added.

Lenita Walker, who coordinates teen parent programs for Prince George's County Public Schools, said she is excited to work with Greater Baden Medical Services, although she has not seen the new presentation. The health provider gave a separate presentation to some of her students last year on sexually transmitted infections.

"They do an excellent presentation, one where the students are able to relate and ask questions," she said.