NCHS: A Blog of the National Center for Health Statistics

Director’s Corner—The Importance of Privacy

With all the recent concerns about the collection and use of information gathered by the National Security Agency and other agencies both public and private, I think it is an appropriate time to go over the responsibilities of a federal statistical agency like NCHS. NCHS and all other federal statistical agencies are governed by four Read More >

High Blood Pressure Affects Almost a Third of U.S. Adults

A new report from NCHS shows that hypertension affects almost one-third of the U.S. adult population. In 2009–2010, nearly 82% of adults with hypertension were aware of their status, and nearly 76% were taking medication. Despite considerable improvement in increasing the awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension, undiagnosed and uncontrolled hypertension among minority groups remains Read More >

High Total Cholesterol Remains Unchanged in Adults

High levels of total cholesterol and low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the “good cholesterol”) are risk factors for coronary heart disease.  To identify persons who may be at risk for developing coronary heart disease, adults are advised to have their cholesterol checked at least once every 5 years (i.e., to be screened for Read More >

Obesity Prevalence Among U.S. Adults Level Off

NCHS has put out a report that presents national estimates of obesity among adults in the United States in 2011–2012, based on measured weight and height. The health risks associated with obesity make reducing the high prevalence of obesity a public health priority. Previous publications have shown both racial and ethnic disparities in obesity prevalence and no change Read More >

Emergency Department Visits by Persons Aged 65 and Over

From 2000–2010, the number of persons in the United States aged 65 and over rose 15%, from 35.0 million to 40.3 million, and in 2010 this age group represented 13% of the population. It is estimated that by 2030, nearly one in five persons will be aged 65 and over. Given their growing proportion of Read More >

CDC WONDER Database

Do you want to know how many births or deaths were in your state during a particular year?  CDC has a database that can answer this question called CDC WONDER.  This an easy-to-use, menu-driven system that makes the information resources of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) available to public health professionals and the Read More >

Number of Out-of-Hospital Births on the Rise

A new analysis published in the American College of Nurse-Midwives’ peer-reviewed journal reveals that women are not only choosing midwife-led, out-of-hospital births at an increasing rate in the United States, but also that the pace at which women are choosing this option appears to be accelerating. Recent Trends in Out-Of-Hospital Births, published in the Sept. Read More >

Physician Experience With Electronic Health Record Systems

A new report from NCHS looks at Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems that meet the meaningful use criteria have specific capabilities associated with efficient and high-quality patient care.  The criteria is set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Key Findings from the Report: About three-quarters of physicians with electronic health record systems have systems that Read More >

Electronic Health Record Usage in Residential Care Communities

A new report released by NCHS looks at how effective electronic health records are in residential care communities, such as assisted living facilities and similar residential care communities.  Although research has been done in other health care settings, little has been focused on residential care communities’ use of electronic health records and their support for Read More >

Preliminary Birth Data for 2012 Released

NCHS released a new report called Births: Preliminary Data for 2012 that looks at births in the United States. U.S. data on births are shown by age, live-birth order, race, and Hispanic origin of mother. Data on marital status, cesarean delivery, preterm births, and low birthweight are also presented. Key Findings from the Report: The preliminary number Read More >

During 1999–2010, a total of 49,762 deaths from drowning occurred in the United States, an average of 4,147 deaths per year. Summer is particularly a high-risk time of year for drowning, with July being the peak month (8,683 drowning deaths in July during 1999-2010 – an average of nearly 724 drowning deaths every July). Males Read More >

Prescription Sleep Aid Use

According to estimates, 50–70 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders or deprivation, which can not only hinder daily functioning, but can also adversely affect their health.  Prescription sleep aids are one of the treatment options for trouble going into or maintaining sleep. However, long-term use of sleep aids has been linked to adverse outcomes in Read More >

Male Newborn Circumcision on a Three Decade Decline

NCHS has released a new report on estimates of male newborn circumcisions performed during the birth hospitalization. Using data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS), annual rates of newborn circumcision are presented for 1979–2010. Key Findings From the Report: Across the 32-year period from 1979 through 2010, the national rate of newborn circumcision declined 10% Read More >

Circumcision

Circumcision is an important decision for parents of male newborns.  The choice is simple for some families because they follow their cultural or religious beliefs.  However, for other families this decision may be so clear. Documented research has shown that male circumcision can reduce a males risk of contracting HIV and lowers the risk of Read More >

US Infertility Rates Drop Slightly

NCHS has released a new report that presents nationally representative estimates and trends for infertility and impaired fecundity—two measures of fertility problems—among women aged 15–44 in the United States. Data are also presented on a measure of infertility among men aged 15–44. Infertility is defined as a lack of pregnancy in the 12 months prior to survey, despite Read More >

Reflections of an International Statistician

By Dr. Pavlina Rumcheva, Senior Service Fellow NCHS Office of Research and Methodology I will tell a brief story about my life as a statistician around the world. My starting point was the city of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. I was born and grew up there, and lived there during my high school and Read More >

Dr. Nat Schenker Serves Statistics as ASA President-Elect

As director of the Office of Research and Methodology, Dr. Nathaniel Schenker spends his working days absorbed in the details of the world of statistics, with emphasis on how they apply to National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Outside of the office? He spends more time on the world of statistics, but with a more global view. Read More >

Racial Differences in Life Expectancy

The trend in U.S. life expectancy since 1900 has been gradually improving.  In 2010, life expectancy at birth was 78.7 years, an increase of 11% since 1970. For the white population, life expectancy increased 10%, and for the black population the increase was 17%. Nevertheless, differences in life expectancy by race have been observed and Read More >

Ask the Expert: LCDR Erin Nichols, Verbal Autopsy

[Editor’s Note: NCHS’s International Statistics Program collaborates with domestic and international partners in many public health projects around the world. We spoke with epidemiologist LCDR Erin Nichols about one of the program’s more ambitious projects: verbal autopsy.]   Q. How did the verbal autopsy project come about, and who you will be working with? A. Read More >

NCHS Undertakes Systematic Evaluation of Major Programs

The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) is responsible for monitoring the nation’s health. To make sure that its programs are on target to do so requires evaluation and advice from the broader scientific community. The Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC) is a committee charged with providing advice and making recommendations to the secretary of Read More >

Cesarean Delivery Rates Starting to Stabilize

The total U.S. cesarean delivery rate reached a high of 32.9% of all births in 2009, rising 60% from the most recent low of 20.7 in 1996.  Since 2009, the U.S. cesarean delivery rate has not increased. NCHS’s report explores cesarean delivery rates by gestational age for 1996–2011, focusing on 2009–2011.  Analysis is limited to Read More >

Birth Numbers Continue to Decline

NCHS has released a report that presents 2011 data on U.S. births according to a wide variety of characteristics.  The vast majority of these findings were previously published in October 2012 in “Births: Preliminary Data for 2011.” Findings that were not in the preliminary report: The 2011 twin birth rate was 33 per 1,000 total Read More >

QDRL Works with Federal Agencies to Evaluate Blood Donation Procedures

An integral element of the Office of Research and Methodology’s (ORM) mission is to work with other federal statistical agencies to develop and test survey instruments. To that end, in 1985, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) created the Questionnaire Design Research Laboratory (QDRL). Recent projects include examining alternatives to sexual identification questions used in NCHS’s Read More >

International Statistics Program Takes a Global View of Health

At the National Center for Health Statistics’s offices in Hyattsville, Md., one of the busiest and most collaborative programs has a distinctly global mission. The International Statistics Program (ISP), under director Dr. Sam Notzon, gives NCHS a presence beyond our national borders, actively supporting NCHS programs and working with international organizations to improve the collection Read More >

NHIS Report on Health Insurance Coverage

NCHS has released a report on selected estimates of health insurance coverage for the civilian noninstitutionalized U.S. population based on data from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey. Key Findings from the Report: • In 2012, 45.5 million persons of all ages were uninsured at the time of interview, 57.7 million  had been uninsured for at Read More >