Category: Uncategorized
Health Insurance Coverage
Today, NCHS has released a report on estimates of health insurance coverage for the civilian noninstitutionalized U.S. population based on data from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), along with comparable estimates from the 1997–2011 NHIS. Data analyses for the January–September 2012 NHIS were based on 80,618 persons. In the first 9 months of 2012, 45.3 million persons of all Read More >
Posted on byPrevalence of Diagnosed Autism in Children
Nearly one million school-aged children in the U.S. have autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a new NCHS report released today. The report uses data from the National Survey of Children’s Health, which was based on reporting by parents of school-aged children (ages 6–17 years) in 2011–2012, and compared with earlier data from the NSCH Read More >
Posted on by 2 CommentsMortality from Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia among older adults, affects parts of the brain that control thinking, remembering and making decisions. It can seriously impair a person’s ability to complete daily activities. An estimated 5.4 million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer’s disease, at a cost of $200 billion in health care expenses in Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentThe Tides of March
March is National Kidney Month AND National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Data from the last National Hospital Discharge Survey shows there were 512,000 hospitalizations in 2010 for acute kidney failure (ICD-9-CM Code 584), and 143,000 for kidney infections (ICD-9-CM Code 590). Kidney stones (ICD-9-CM Code 592) brought 158,000 to the hospital. Kidney disease (nephritis, nephrotic Read More >
Posted on bySTATE VITALS: GEORGIA
Georgia ranks 6th among states in preterm births (13.2% of all births) and in low birthweight deliveries (9.4% of all births), and ranks 7th highest in the percentage of births to unmarried mothers (45.4% of all births). The state also has the 7th highest mortality rate from kidney disease in the U.S. (21.3 deaths per Read More >
Posted on bySTATE VITALS: FLORIDA
Florida has the 3rd highest cesarean delivery rate in the U.S. (38.1% of all births). Only Louisiana and New Jersey have higher cesarean rates than Florida. The state also has the 5th highest percentage of births born to unmarried mothers (47.6%) and the 10th highest preterm birth rate (13% of all births). In addition, a Read More >
Posted on byFast Food Consumption
As lifestyles become more hectic, fast-food consumption has become a growing part of the American diet. More than one-third of U.S. adults are obese and frequest fast-food consumption has been shown to contribute to weight gain. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) completed a report, Caloric Intake From Fast Food Among Adults: United States, Read More >
Posted on bySTATE VITALS: DELAWARE
Delaware has the 4th highest percentage of births born to unmarried mothers (48.7%) in the nation, lower only than Mississippi, Louisiana and New Mexico and significantly higher than the total U.S. (40.8%). The state’s low birthweight rate is also higher than the U.S. as a whole (8.4% vs. 8.1%). Among the ten leading causes of Read More >
Posted on byBreaking It Down
Slate and others have raised the question why NCHS chose to release two new contraception reports on Valentine’s Day. The answer is that NCHS always releases its data whenever they’re ready to be published, give or take a day or two depending on the timing of other publications or events. So, releasing these two reports about contraception on Valentine’s Read More >
Posted on byStats of the States
“STATS OF THE STATES” is a popular feature on the National Center for Health Statistics’ web site that spotlights the latest state-by-state data compiled by NCHS. Stats of the States predominantly consists of vital statistics (Births and Deaths, as well as Marriage & Divorce), but also includes data on miscellaneous topics such as health insurance Read More >
Posted on byConnecting Surveys to Administrative Records: Data Linkage Opens Doors to New Longitudinal Research
A Valuable Resource for Researchers NCHS’s record linkage program is designed to maximize the scientific value of the Center’s population-based surveys. Linked data files enable researchers to take the “long view” and examine the factors that influence disability, chronic disease, health care utilization, morbidity, and mortality. Producing Results Through Collaboration One of NCHS’s major Read More >
Posted on byDirector’s Corner: Welcome to Inside NCHS
I celebrated a milestone recently—I have been an employee of the federal government for 35 years. For the last 16 of those years, I have been Director of NCHS. It has been an astonishing tenure, to say the least; full of change, challenge, and progress. A substantial need for timely, accurate data existed when I joined Read More >
Posted on byContraceptive Use and Births in Teens 15-19 Years Old
A recent report has highlighted the use of contraceptive use and births in teenagers 15-19 years old. The data reports that there has been no significant change in the number of never-married teenagers who have had sexual intercourse; the percentages still stand near 43% and 42% for females and males, respectively. However, there was an Read More >
Posted on bySugar Drink Consumption
The consumption of sugar drinks in the United States has increased over the past thirty years. So much, in fact, that some schools and councils have considered taxing these types of beverages and removing them from school cafeterias. However, outlawing such sugar drinks like soda, fruit drinks, and energy drinks, seems unlikely given that approximately 50% Read More >
Posted on byOne in seven adults don’t know they have certain major chronic conditions
Findings from a new report, “Hypertension, High cholesterol, and Diabetes: Racial and Ethnic Prevalence Differences in US Adults, 1999-2006” were presented at last month’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) tour for members of the Association of Health Care Journalists in Chicago, IL. NHANES is a program of studies designed to assess the health Read More >
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