Category: Uncategorized

First Births to Older Women Continue to Rise

The average age of women at first birth has risen over the past 4 decades.  This increase is in part a reflection of the shift in first births to women 35 years and older.  Delayed childbearing affects the size, composition, and future growth of the population in the United States.  Increased health risks to older Read More >

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State Variability in Supply of Office-based Primary Care Providers: United States, 2012

Primary care providers include primary care physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners. Primary care physicians are those in family and general practice, internal medicine, geriatrics, and pediatrics. Physician assistants are state-licensed health professionals practicing medicine under a physician’s supervision. Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with advanced clinical training. The ability to obtain primary care depends Read More >

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Adverse Family Experiences Among Children in Nonparental Care, 2011–2012

A new NCHS report presents estimates of the proportion of children who have experienced selected adverse family events by the number of biological parents in the household, with a focus on comparisons among subgroups of children in nonparental care defined by caregiver type. Key Findings from the Report: Children in nonparental care were 2.7 times Read More >

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QuickStats: Percentage of Children Aged 6–17 Years Prescribed Medication During the Preceding 6 Months for Emotional or Behavioral Difficulties

During 2011–2012, among children aged 6–17 years, 7.5% overall had been prescribed medication for emotional or behavioral difficulties during the preceding 6 months. By U.S. Census region, the percentages were 9.3% in the South, 8.0% in the Midwest, 6.3% in the Northeast, and 5.0% in the West. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6317a9.htm?s_cid=mm6317a9_e Read More >

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STATE VITALS: Illinois

In the United States, Illinois ranks 13th in deaths from kidney disease.  The state also has a higher homicide and infant mortality rate than the rest of the country. However, among the 10 leading causes of death in the U.S., Illinois has mortality rates that are lower than the U.S. rate for the following causes: chronic Read More >

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Use of Medication Prescribed for Emotional or Behavioral Difficulties Among Children Aged 6–17 Years in the United States, 2011–2012

Mental health problems are common chronic conditions in children.  Medication is often prescribed to treat the symptoms of these conditions. Few population-based studies have examined the use of prescription medication to treat mental health problems among younger as well as older school-aged children. A new NCHS report describes the sociodemographic characteristics of children aged 6–17 years Read More >

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QuickStats: Percentage of Currently Employed Adults Who Were Current Smokers by Selected Industries

During 2008–2012, 29.9% of adults 18 years or older currently employed in construction and 28.2% of those currently employed in mining were current smokers. Adults currently employed in construction were more likely than adults currently employed in manufacturing (23.3%), transportation/warehousing/utilities (23.2%), trade (22.0%), agriculture/forestry/fishing (18.6%), services (16.9%), or health care/social assistance (16.0%) to be current smokers. Read More >

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Rural and Urban Hospitals’ Role in Providing Inpatient Care

In 2010, 17% of the U.S. population lived in rural (nonmetropolitan) areas. Disparities in health care access between rural and urban areas have been documented. Rural hospitals not only provide inpatient care, but also emergency department, outpatient department, long-term care, and health care coordination . Rural hospitals may have difficulty remaining financially viable. Medicare payment Read More >

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QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged 25 or Older Who Were Current Smokers or Current Regular Drinkers by Education Level

Among adults aged 25 or older in 2012, 26.5% of those who did not graduate from high school and 26.4% who had a high school diploma or GED were current smokers, compared with 19.7% who had attended some college and 7.9% with a college degree. In contrast, 64.2% of college graduates were current regular drinkers, compared with Read More >

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STATE VITALS: IDAHO

In the U.S., Idaho ranks 48th in the percentage of births to unmarried mothers (27.4%) and 47th in cesarean delivery rates (24.9).  The state’s teen birth rate is lower than the overall U.S. rate (28.3 vs. 29.4).  Idaho’s low birthweight rate ranks 44th in the country. However, among the 10 leading causes of death in the Read More >

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Regional Variation in Use of Complementary Health Approaches by U.S. Adults

Complementary health approaches are defined as “a group of diverse medical and health care interventions, practices, products, or disciplines that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine.”  They range from practitioner-based approaches, such as chiropractic manipulation and massage therapy, to predominantly self-care approaches, such as nonvitamin, nonmineral dietary supplements, meditation, and yoga. A new report presents Read More >

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STATE VITALS: IOWA

Iowa has mortality rates that are lower than the United States rate in firearm deaths, homicide and drug poisoning deaths.  The state also has the 5th lowest mortality rate for kidney disease and ranks 11th  in percent of births to unmarried mothers. However, Iowa has mortality rates that are higher than the U.S. for chronic lower respiratory Read More >

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STATCAST: January – March 2014

[wpvideo OJ3SDsrT] Welcome to this edition of Statcast, a quarterly presentation of data highlights from the National Center for Health Statistics.  This edition covers the period January through March, 2014. In 2012, 53,635 babies were born outside of a hospital in the U.S., including over 35,000 births that occurred in the home.  Just over 1 Read More >

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Unintentional Drowning Deaths in the United States, 1999–2010

Drowning is the third leading cause of death from unintentional injury worldwide, accounting for 7% of all injury-related deaths according to 2004 data from the World Health Organization.  Previous reports indicated that, although the death rate from unintentional drowning for persons aged 0–19 years decreased in the United States, drowning had become the major cause Read More >

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QUICKSTATS: Percentage of Men and Women Who Regularly Had Insomnia or Trouble Sleeping by Family Income as a Percentage of Poverty Level

During 2012, the percentage of adults aged 18 years or older who reported that they regularly had insomnia or trouble sleeping during the past 12 months ranged from 15.8% for those with family incomes more than 400% of the poverty level to 24.8% for those with family incomes under 100% of the poverty level.  For both men Read More >

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Pulmonary Hypertension Deaths Increase in Past Decade

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is an uncommon but progressive condition. Much of what we know about PH comes from specialized disease registries.  PH occurs when the blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries, which carry oxygen and blood from the heart to the lungs, is much higher than normal.  The decline in death rates associated with PH Read More >

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Percentage of People Under age 65 in Families Having Problems Paying Medical Bills Decrease

A new NCHS report provides updated estimates for the percentage of persons under age 65 who were in families having problems paying medical bills, by selected demographic variables, based on data from five consecutive 6-month periods from January–June 2011 to January–June 2013 of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). In this report, an NHIS “family” Read More >

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QuickStats: Percentage of Adults 65 Years or Older Who Have Lost All Their Natural Teeth

During 2010–2012, 30% of adults 65 years or older living in nonmetropolitan areas had no natural teeth, compared with 21% of those living in metropolitan areas. The percentage of adults 65 years or older with no natural teeth was higher in nonmetropolitan areas than in metropolitan areas in all regions of the United States. In Read More >

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Stat Line

The latest data on 15 selected health measures based on data from the National Health Interview Survey with five year interval trend points. The 15 measures include smoking, obesity, physical activity, alcohol consumption, HIV testing, health insurance, usual place for medical care, obtaining needed medical care, influenza vaccination, pneumococcal vaccination, general health status, personal care needs, Read More >

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QuickStats: Dental Visits by Children Aged 2–17 in 2012

  During 2012, approximately 69% of children aged 5–17  had a dental visit in the past 6 months; among children aged 2–4 years, the percentage with a dental visit was 45%.  Approximately 19% of those aged 5–17 years and 12% of those aged 2–4 years had a visit more than 6 months to 1 year.  Read More >

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State Vitals: Hawaii

The Aloha State has mortality rates that are lower than the total U.S. for the following causes: heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, stroke, accidents, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes. Hawaii also has the lowest mortality rate in the country for chronic lower respiratory disease and Alzheimer’s disease, 2nd lowest cancer mortality rate, and 3rd Read More >

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Routine Prenatal Care Visits by Provider Specialty in the United States, 2009–2010

Previous studies have focused on practice patterns of obstetricians/gynecologists or overall ambulatory care utilization by women (2–5).  However, the amount of routine prenatal care delivered by obstetrics and gynecology (ob/gyn) providers and non-ob/gyn providers has not been quantified.  Understanding which providers deliver prenatal care may yield valuable information about training and workforce needs.  A new Read More >

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QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged 18 and Over Who Have Lost All Their Natural Teeth

During 2010–2012, the percentage of adults aged 18 and over who had no natural teeth was higher in nonmetropolitan areas than in metropolitan areas for all age groups. The percentage of adults with no natural teeth also increased steadily with age in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan locations. Among persons aged 85 and over in nonmetropolitan locations, Read More >

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March is National Nutrition Month

March is National Nutrition Month and NCHS has been collecting dietary data on the U.S. population for more than 40 years. The primary data source for monitoring nutrition in the U.S. is the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which uses personal interviews, standardized physical examinations and laboratory tests. Through NHANES, NCHS obtains nationally representative Read More >

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STATE VITALS: FLORIDA

Among the 50 U.S. states, Florida ranks 3rd highest for cesarean delivery rates, and 4th highest in the proportion of births to unmarried mothers and preterm births. The Sunshine State also has a higher homicide rate and higher mortality rate from drug overdose deaths than the national rate, and has a significant larger proportion of its population without health Read More >

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