Category: births
Births–Using the NCHS Vital Stats Tool
NCHS birth tables with a variety of variables for selection are available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/datawh/vitalstats/VitalStatsbirths.htm. By selecting the national or subnational (i.e., state and some county) levels, you can find specific statistics for national, state, and some county birth rates, fertility rates, method of delivery (vaginal or cesarean), length of pregnancy, birthweight, characteristics of the mother Read More >
Posted on byNew birth statistics released–teen birth rate raises once again
New birth statistics released today by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reveal that the U.S. teen birth rate increased slightly in 2007 for the second straight year. The findings are published in a new report, “Births: Preliminary Data for 2007,” based on analysis of nearly 99% of birth records reported to 50 States Read More >
Posted on byReport card for Nation’s health focuses on young adults aged 18-29
Young adults in the United States aged 18-29 face a number of health challenges, including increases in obesity, high injury rates, and a lack of insurance coverage compared to other adults, according to the latest report on the nation’s health from NCHS. Obesity rates have tripled among young adults in the past three decades, rising Read More >
Posted on byTeen births increase in over one-half of states
The teen birth rate increased in more than half of all 50 states in 2006, according to an NCHS report released today. Click here for the report. The data show teen birth rates were highest in the South and Southwest, with the highest rate recorded in Mississippi (68.4), followed by New Mexico (64.1) and Texas Read More >
Posted on byLatest trends in infant mortality available. U.S. ranked 29th in world, down from 23d in 1990
The U.S. infant mortality rate was 6.78 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2004, the latest year that data are available for all countries. Infant mortality rates were generally lowest (below 3.5 per 1,000) in selected Scandinavian (Sweden, Norway, Finland) and East Asian (Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore) countries. Twenty-two countries had infant mortality rates Read More >
Posted on byDisability and Health in the United States
Disability and Health in the United States, examines health-related differences between disabled and non-disabled noninstutionalized adults aged 18 years and over. During 2001-2005, almost 30 percent of noninstutionalized adults U.S population (approximately 62 million people) had basic actions difficulty, as indicated by reporting at least some basic difficulty with basic movement or sensory, cognitive, or Read More >
Posted on byAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Learning Disability
Did you know that 8 percent of school-aged children have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and learning disability? The percent of children 6-17 years of age with ADHD (with and without LD) increased slowly from 1997 through 2006, whereas the percentage of children with LD (with and without ADHD) did not change significantly. Approximately 5 Read More >
Posted on by 6 CommentsTeen Suicide and Antidepressants
The Washington Post ran a story today based on an article appearing in the journal American Journal of Psychiatry. Warnings from federal regulators four years ago that antidepressants were increasing the risk of suicidal behavior among young people led to a precipitous drop in the use of the drugs. Now a new study has found Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentTeen Birth Rate in the U.S. Sky Rockets in 2006
Teen birth rate in the U.S. rose in 2006 for the first time since 1991, the rate for out-of-wedlock childbearing also rose significantly. Between 2005 and 2006, the birth rate for teenagers 15-19 years rose 3 percent, from 40.5 live births per1, 000 females aged 15-19 years in 2005 to 41.9 births per 1,000 in 2006. Read More >
Posted on byAge of Mothers
The age of mothers has been increasing over time. Tables documenting this trend, from 1960 through 2004, as well as the increasing number of older women chosing to have children can be found here. Read More >
Posted on byMother’s Age at First Birth
One of the interesting demographic phenomena is the steady upwards creep in the age of women when they give birth to their first child. In 1940 the age at first birth was 23.0 years. It dipped downwards to 21.5 in 1960 and was at 25.2 in 2004. The data can be found here. Read More >
Posted on byCircumcision Rates
Circumcision is a topic that has vigorous advocates for and against. As a statistical agency we don’t have a view on that particular subject but we do track male infant circumcision through our National Hospital Discharge Survey. Our publication Trends in circumcisions among newborns can be downloaded as can this table showing numbers of circumsicisions Read More >
Posted on byBirths at home and births by midwife
Home birthing and the use of a midwife versus a doctor is often the subject of discussion on the pages of popular magazines. As part of our study of births, the National Center for Health Statistics produces data on the place of birth and who is attendant at that birth annually. Those data from 1990 Read More >
Posted on byUnmarried Childbearing
The National Center for Health Statistics tracks the number and percentage of births to unmarried women because it is a key social indicator. According to the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics: Children of unmarried mothers are at higher risk of having adverse birth outcomes, such as low birthweight and infant mortality, and Read More >
Posted on byFather’s Day
Father’s Day approaches. Most of the data we at the National Center for Health Statistics have on fathers is found in our National Vital Statistics Report Births: Final Data for 2004. The birth rate per 1,000 men aged 15–54 years was 48.8 in 2004, slightly lower than the rate in 2003 (48.9), but higher than Read More >
Posted on byMultiple Births
The twin birth rate rose 2 percent for 2004, to 32.2 twins per 1,000 total births, another record high. The twinning rate has climbed 42 percent since 1990 (from 22.6), and 70 percent since 1980 (18.9). The number of live births in twin deliveries rose to 132,219, nearly double the number reported for 1980 (from Read More >
Posted on byNew Infant Mortality Report
The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics has released a new report on infant mortality that has a lot of good news and some troubling numbers, too. The lede: The infant mortality rate in the United States in 2004 was 6.78 infant (under 1 year of age) deaths per 1,000 live births, not significantly different Read More >
Posted on byNew Report from Vital Statistics
The National Vital Statistics System forms the cornerstone for all US population studies. The National Vital Statistics System is the oldest and most successful example of inter-governmental data sharing in Public Health and the shared relationships, standards, and procedures form the mechanism by which NCHS collects and disseminates the Nation’s official vital statistics. These data Read More >
Posted on byMore for Mother’s Day
The mean age at first birth leveled off in 2004 to 25.2 years of age. According to our publication Births: Final Data for 2004 (see page 2): The mean or average age at first birth for the United States in 2004 was 25.2 years, unchanged from 2003. Mean age at first birth for non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic Read More >
Posted on byMother’s Day
As Mother’s Day approaches we get the inevitable question about the number of mothers in the United States. Short answer is that we can’t tell you but the Census Bureau estimates there were 80.5 million mothers in the US. Follow the link to lots more facts on Mother’s Day. Read More >
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