Category: Life Stages and Populations

From Once a Year to On Demand, DVS Rewrites the Rules of Mortality Surveillance

Paul Sutton

Suppose, after years of being able to look back and see only where you had been, you were suddenly able to see exactly where you are, right now, in a clearer, more revealing light. That’s a fair description of the position the Division of Vital Statistics (DVS) finds itself in. Thanks to innovative approaches to data warehousing, Read More >

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The Birth Certificate (Finally) Goes National

Joyce Martin, M.P.H.

According to Joyce Martin, M.P.H., lead of the birth team in the Reproductive Statistics Branch, Division of Vital Statistics, a transition that began more than a decade-and-a-half ago will soon be completed, and a new era in national birth certificate data will begin. By the time we ring in 2015, all of America’s 50 states and Read More >

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News Brief: Older Women, First Births

Older woman with child

A recent NCHS Data Brief, drawing on data collected through the National Vital Statistics System, has received nationwide media attention for its findings on first-time births to older mothers. Data Brief No. 152, “First Births to Older Women Continue to Rise,” found significant increases over the past four decades in the average age of women Read More >

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Director’s Corner—NCHS and Public Health

Charles Rothwell, NCHS Director

Monday, April 7, marks the beginning of National Public Health Week. For the past 20 years, the American Public Health Association has observed National Public Health Week as a time to recognize the contributions of public health and highlight issues that are important to improving our nation’s health. This makes it a good time reflect Read More >

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News Brief: Teen Pregnancy, and Sedentary Time and Disability

Red leather armchair

Data collected through NCHS’ National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were used as the foundation for two important studies released this year that have attracted significant national media attention.   Teen Pregnancy and MTV In January, the National Bureau of Economic Research released its paper, “Media Influences on Read More >

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Ask the Expert: Dr. Julia Holmes, Health, United States

Dr. Julia Holmes

Since 1975, Health, United States has presented national trends on the health of the Nation, including infant mortality, life expectancy, morbidity and health status, risk factors such as smoking and obesity, utilization of health care, health insurance coverage, supply of health care resources, and national expenditures for health. Compiled annually by the National Center for Read More >

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Nosologists: What Do They Do and Why Is It Important?

Medical coders Celia Dickens, Tyringa Crawford, and Holly Lambert pose behind a manual. They are part of a select group; around the world there are only a few mortality coders.

“How many causes of death are there?” The question makes the experts from the Division of Vital Statistics (DVS) share looks and smiles as they point towards enormous binders. A death certificate often includes a series of conditions that led to the death of an individual. Each condition has a code and is tracked on Read More >

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New Interactive Report

interactive health united states

Interactive Health, United States, 2011, In Brief, is a new interactive version of Health, United States, 2011, In Brief . It was developed jointly with the National Library of Medicine (NLM) of the National Institutes of Health. The new interactive report provides text, charts, and tables from Health, United States, 2011. Additional data from the full Health, Read More >

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In the News

Consumer Reports Cites NHANES Research in Articles on Arsenic in Food, Juice An in-depth report in the November 2012 issue of Consumer Reports relies extensively on data collected by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The report, “Arsenic in your food,” exposes the presence of arsenic, a potent human carcinogen, in nearly every food product category—particularly rice and rice-based Read More >

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Ask the Expert: Dr. Brady Hamilton

Data Brief 89, “Birth Rates for U.S. Teenagers Reach Historic Lows for All Age and Ethnic Groups,” published in April 2012, is available for download from the NCHS website.   Birth rates for U.S. teenagers have reached historic lows for all age and ethnic groups, according to a recent NCHS Data Brief.  We spoke with Read More >

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Milestones and Honors

Dr. Gladys Martinez and Dr. Casey Copen

Dr. Nathaniel Schenker Elected American Statistical Association 2014 President The American Statistical Association (ASA), the world’s largest community of statisticians, has elected NCHS’s Dr. Nathaniel Schenker to serve as ASA’s 109th president.  Dr. Schenker will serve as president-elect in 2013 and become president on January 1, 2014.  He formerly served as the association’s vice president. Read More >

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