NCHS: A Blog of the National Center for Health Statistics
Residential Care Communities by Community Bed Size: United States, 2012
Residents in residential care, including assisted living, are individuals that cannot live independently, but generally do not require the skilled level of care provided by nursing homes. On any given day in 2012, there were 713,300 residents in 22,200 residential care communities nationwide. With the aging of the population, the numbers in residential care communities will Read More >
Posted on byTrends in Fetal and Perinatal Mortality in the United States, 2006–2012
Changes in outcomes among live births were seen during 2006–2012. For example, the percentage of births delivered at 39 weeks of gestation or more rose and preterm birth and infant mortality rates declined. Limited recent data, however, have been available on fetal mortality. This information is essential for a more complete understanding of pregnancy health Read More >
Posted on bySTATE VITALS: MISSISSIPPI
The state of Mississippi scores lower than the nation overall in drug poisoning deaths. However, Mississippi ranks higher than the entire U.S. in mortality for all ten leading causes of death, which include: heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, stroke, accidents, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, kidney disease, influenza/pneumonia and suicide. Read More >
Posted on byQuickStats: Age-Adjusted Suicide Rates, by State — United States, 2012
In 2012, the overall age-adjusted suicide rate in the United States was 12.6 per 100,000 population. Among states, Wyoming had the highest suicide rate (29.6), followed by Alaska (23.0), Montana (22.6), New Mexico (21.3), and Utah (21.0). The District of Columbia had the lowest suicide rate (5.7), followed by New Jersey (7.4), New York (8.3), Read More >
Posted on byQuickStats: Age-Adjusted Death Rates from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Among Persons Aged 55 Years or Older, by Sex and Urbanization of County of Residence— United States, 2009–2011
During 2009–2011, higher death rates for COPD among persons aged 55 years or older were associated with more rural localities, with rates increasing steadily from the least to the most rural county. For males, the age-adjusted COPD death rate in rural counties was 59% higher than in large central metropolitan counties (284.3 versus 178.9 deaths per Read More >
Posted on byUnited States Life Tables, 2010
A new NCHS report presents complete period life tables for the United States by race, Hispanic origin, and sex, based on age-specific death rates in 2010. Key Findings from the Report: In 2010, the overall expectation of life at birth was 78.7 years. Between 2009 and 2010, life expectancy at birth increased for all groups considered. Read More >
Posted on byTrends in Low-risk Cesarean Delivery in the United States, 1990–2013
A new NCHS report explores trends in low-risk cesarean delivery at a national level, with particular focus on changes from 2009 through 2013. Trends are examined by state of residence, gestational age, age of mother, and race and Hispanic origin of mother. An earlier report based on birth certificate data, using a slightly different definition, explored Read More >
Posted on byQuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged 18–59 Years Who Have Ever Been Tested for HIV by Number of Lifetime Sex Partners and by Sex — 2007–2010
During 2007–2010, 48% of U.S. women and 41.1% of U.S. men aged 18–59 years reported having ever been tested (outside of blood donations) for HIV infection. For both men and women, an increase in the number of lifetime sexual partners increased the likelihood that they were tested for HIV. Among persons with zero lifetime sex Read More >
Posted on bySTATE VITALS: MINNESOTA
The state of Minnesota scores lower than the nation overall in percent of births to unmarried mothers, cesarean delivery rate, preterm birth rate, teen birth rate and low birthweight rate. The North Star state also has a lower mortality rate in homicide, firearm and drug poisoning deaths. Minnesota has mortality rates that are lower than the U.S. Read More >
Posted on byQuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged 18–59 Years Who Were Ever Tested for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) by Race and Hispanic Ethnicity — United States, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2003–2006 to 2007–2010
Approximately 44% of adults aged 18–59 years had ever been tested for HIV (other than blood donations) during 2007–2010, nearly the same as during 2003–2006. From 2003–2006 to 2007–2010, no significant change was observed for non-Hispanic white and Mexican-American adults in this age group. A significant increase was observed in the percentage of non-Hispanic black Read More >
Posted on byQuickStats: Age-Adjusted Rates of Death from Fire or Flames by State — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2007–2011
During 2007–2011, age-adjusted rates for deaths from fire and flames varied widely by state, ranging from 0.3 per 100,000 population in Hawaii to 2.9 in Mississippi. In 18 states and the District of Columbia, the age-adjusted death rate was significantly higher than the overall U.S. rate of 1.0 per 100,000 population. Rates were higher than Read More >
Posted on bySTATE VITALS: MICHIGAN
The state of Michigan scores lower than the nation overall in cesarean delivery rate and teen birth rate. The Great Lake state also has a smaller proportion of its population without health insurance than the national average. However, among the 10 leading causes of death in the United States, Michigan has mortality rates that are higher than the Read More >
Posted on byDepression and Obesity in the U.S. Adult Household Population, 2005–2010
In 2005–2010, 34.6% of U.S. adults aged 20 and over were obese and 7.2% had depression, based on depressive symptoms experienced in the past 2 weeks. Both obesity and depression are associated with many health risks, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and functional limitations. Studies have shown higher rates of obesity in persons with depression. This Read More >
Posted on byBreast Cancer Awareness Month
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and it’s important to recognize the most common cancer among American women. Cancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control. When cancer starts in the breast, it is called breast cancer. There are different symptoms of breast cancer and some people have no Read More >
Posted on byQuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged 18 Years or Older with Trouble Hearing by Sex and Race/Ethnicity – National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2012
Overall, in 2012, non-Hispanic white adults were more likely to report having trouble hearing compared with Hispanic adults and non-Hispanic black adults. Men (18%) were more likely to report having trouble hearing than women (12%). Among Hispanic and non-Hispanic white adults, men were more likely to report having trouble hearing; however, this pattern was not Read More >
Posted on byMortality in the United States, 2012
A new NCHS report presents 2012 U.S. final mortality data on deaths and death rates by demographic and medical characteristics. These data provide information on mortality patterns among residents of the United States by such variables as sex, race and ethnicity, and cause of death. Information on mortality patterns is key to understanding changes in the Read More >
Posted on byQuickStats: Percentage of Suicide Deaths by Mechanism and Age Group — United States, 2011
In 2011, firearm was the leading mechanism for suicide deaths for all age groups, ranging from 44% of suicides among persons aged 5–24 years to 72% of suicides among persons aged 65 years or older. Suffocation was the second leading mechanism in the two younger age groups (41% of suicides among persons aged 5–24 years Read More >
Posted on bySTATE VITALS: MASSACHUSETTS
The state of Massachusetts scores lower than the nation overall in percent of births to unmarried mothers, cesarean delivery rate, preterm birth rate, teen birth rate and birthweight rate. The state also has a lower mortality rate in homicide, firearm and drug poisoning deaths. However, among the 10 leading causes of death in the United States, Massachusetts has mortality Read More >
Posted on byInternational Comparisons of Infant Mortality and Related Factors: United States and Europe, 2010
A new NCHS report investigates the reasons for the United States’ high infant mortality rate when compared with European countries. Specifically, the report measures the impact on infant mortality differences of two major factors: the percentage of preterm births and gestational age-specific infant mortality rates. In 2010, the U.S. infant mortality rate was 6.1 infant deaths per Read More >
Posted on byQuickStats: Age-Adjusted Death Rates for Heart Disease and Cancer by Sex — United States, 1980–2011
During 1980–2011, age-adjusted death rates for heart disease in males and females decreased steadily. The rate decreased 59.5% for males and 56.8% for females. In contrast, the rate from cancer first increased 3.4% for males and 5.3% for females during 1980–1990 and then decreased 27.2% for males and 18.0% for females by 2011. For females, the rates Read More >
Posted on byQuickStats: Percentage of Adults Who Used Selected Complementary Health Approaches in the Preceding 12 Months, by Metropolitan Status of Residence — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2012
During 2012, the percentages of U.S. adults aged 18 years or older who used nonvitamin, nonmineral dietary supplements, yoga, massage, meditation, and special diets were higher in metropolitan areas than in nonmetropolitan areas. A greater proportion of adults in nonmetropolitan areas used chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation (9.9%) compared with those in metropolitan areas (7.9%). In both Read More >
Posted on byEarly Release of Selected Estimates Based on Data From the January–March 2014 National Health Interview Survey
NCHS has released updates estimates for 15 selected health measures based on data from the January–March 2014 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and presents estimates from 1997 through 2013 for comparison. The 15 measure included in the report are lack of health insurance coverage and type of coverage, having a usual place to go for Read More >
Posted on byDrug-poisoning Deaths Involving Opioid Analgesics: United States, 1999–2011
Poisoning is the leading cause of injury death in the United States. Drugs—both illicit and pharmaceutical—are the major cause of poisoning deaths, accounting for 90% of poisoning deaths in 2011. Misuse or abuse of prescription drugs, including opioid-analgesic pain relievers, is responsible for much of the recent increase in drug-poisoning deaths. A new report highlights trends Read More >
Posted on byNew Reports on Adult Day Services Centers
NCHS has released two new reports on adult day services centers. The reports, Differences in Adult Day Services Center Participant Characteristics by Center Ownership: United States, 2012 and Differences in Adult Day Services Center Characteristics by Center Ownership: United States, 2012, looked at selected characteristics of adult day services center participants in 2012 and compared Read More >
Posted on byQuickStats: Life Expectancy at Birth, by Sex and Race/Ethnicity — United States, 2011
In 2011, life expectancy at birth was 78.7 years for the total U.S. population, 76.3 years for males, and 81.1 years for females. Life expectancy was highest for Hispanics for both males and females. In each racial/ethnic group, females had higher life expectancies than males. Life expectancy ranged from 71.7 years for non-Hispanic black males Read More >
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