NCHS: A Blog of the National Center for Health Statistics
Director’s Corner—NCHS and Public Health
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 >
Posted on byQuickStats: 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 >
Posted on byStat 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 >
Posted on byQuickStats: 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 >
Posted on byElectronic Health Record Adoption Continues to Climb
While adoption of electronic health record (EHR) systems has grown rapidly, little is known about physicians’ perspectives on its adoption and use. Nationally representative survey data from 2011 are used to compare the perspectives of physicians who have adopted EHRs with those that have yet to do so across three key areas: the impact of Read More >
Posted on byState 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 >
Posted on byRoutine 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 >
Posted on byQuickStats: 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 >
Posted on byNews Brief: Teen Pregnancy, and Sedentary Time and Disability
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 >
Posted on byMarch 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 >
Posted on bySTATE 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 >
Posted on byQuickStats: Percentage of Office-Based Physicians Using an Electronic Health Record System by State
In 2013, the percentage of physicians using an Electronic Health Record system was higher than the national average in seven states (Arizona, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah, and Wisconsin) (range = 87%–94%) and was lower than the national average in New Jersey (66%). Read More >
Posted on byQuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged 40 Years or Older Who Ever Had a Cardiovascular Event and Are Now Taking Low-Dose Aspirin to Prevent or Control Heart Disease in 2012
In 2012, 69.6% of adults aged 40 years or older who ever had a cardiovascular event (73.2% of men and 65.4% of women) were taking low-dose aspirin to prevent or control heart disease. Non-Hispanic white men (75.9%) were more likely to be taking low-dose aspirin compared with Hispanic (60.7%) and non-Hispanic black men (60.6%). No statistically Read More >
Posted on byOut-of-Hospital Births Increase in US
In 1900, almost all U.S. births occurred outside a hospital; however the proportion of out-of-hospital births fell to 44% by 1940 and to 1% by 1969, where it remained through the 1980s. Although out-of-hospital births are still rare in the United States, they have been increasing recently. If this increase continues, it has the potential Read More >
Posted on byLatest Obesity Trends Offer Mixed Picture
Obesity among preschoolers ages 2 to 5 dropped from approximately 14% in 2003-04 to 8.4% in 2011-12, according to new research in the February 26 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association. However, there was no change in obesity prevalence for all children and adolescents between 2 and 19 years of age – Read More >
Posted on byAmerican Heart Month
In honor of American Heart Month, it is important to note that almost 600,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year–that’s 1 in every 4 deaths. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women, accounting for approximately 307,000 deaths for men and 290,000 deaths for women in 2010. During Read More >
Posted on byStudy: 3 out of 4 Youth Consume Caffeinated Beverages Each Day – But Tastes Are Shifting
There appears to have been a significant shift over the past decade in what young people are choosing as their “drink of choice” when it comes to caffeinated beverages. While it’s safe to say that soda (or “Pop,” for those of us from the Upper Midwest) won’t become extinct on grocery shelves any time soon, there clearly appears to Read More >
Posted on byMilestones and Honors: CDC Honors Dr. Sandra Decker
Dr. Sandra Decker, Distinguished Consultant, Office of Analysis and Epidemiology (OAE), was honored by CDC’s Health Economics Research Group with the 2013 Kaafee Billah Memorial Award for outstanding health economics research. The award ceremony took place on January 28, 2014, at the National Center for Health Statistics campus in Hyattsville, MD. Dr. Scott Grosse, CDC’s Read More >
Posted on byAsk the Expert: Dr. Kathryn Porter
Since 1991, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) has collected and stored genetic specimens for future studies. Among other considerations, whether, when, and for which biologic measures the results should be reported back to individual survey respondents is a growing concern. NCHS has developed an action plan for reporting individual results; however, the Read More >
Posted on byNew Analysis on Blood Mercury Levels & Seafood Consumption Does Not Resolve The Debate Over What Level Is Considered A Health Risk
While seafood generally is considered part of a healthy diet, it can also contain methyl mercury—a neurotoxin. However, there is little to no scientific consensus on what level of mercury in the blood is considered a health hazard (ATSDR, EPA). A group of NCHS researchers – Samara Joy Nielsen, Brian K Kit, Yutaka Aoki, and Read More >
Posted on byAsk the Expert: Dr. Stephen Blumberg
Beginning in 2003, NCHS’s National Health Interview Survey [NHIS] has collected information on cell phone ownership and use among its respondents. In the ensuing 10 years, cell phone usage has grown substantially and has become all but ubiquitous. A 2006 Health E-Stat revealed that, for the last six months of 2005: approximately 8.4 percent of Read More >
Posted on byHeroin-Related Deaths in the U.S.
The death of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has sparked a great deal of interest in heroin overdose deaths in the U.S. The number of heroin-related deaths are available from the multiple cause of death option on the CDC WONDER database using the T40.1 ICD Code,“Poisoning by and adverse effect of heroin.” However, this may not Read More >
Posted on byFinancial Burden of Medical Care: A Family Perspective
Recently published data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) found that 1 in 5 persons was in a family having problems paying medical bills, and 1 in 10 persons was in a family with medical bills that they were unable to pay at all. NHIS defines “family” as an individual or a group of Read More >
Posted on byInfluenza Vaccine Stats
With winter now in full force, it is important for people to get vaccinated against influenza, a serious respiratory disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death. Every flu season is different, and influenza infection can affect people differently. An annual seasonal flu vaccine (either through a shot or nasal mist) is the best way to Read More >
Posted on byUpdates to Stats of the States
NCHS has new updates to Stats of the States that caputures vital statistics for all 50 states. Read More >
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