NCHS: A Blog of the National Center for Health Statistics
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 >
Posted on bySmoking on the Decline, Data From the 2012 National Health Interview Survey Show
Fewer than 1 in 5 American adults now smoke, according to new data just released from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). An estimated 18% of people in the U.S. age 18 and over are current smokers, down significantly from the 25% who were smokers a decade and a half ago – and down Read More >
Posted on byNumber of American Homes with only Wireless Telephones Growing
The trend towards ditching our landline telephones continues, according to a new report from NCHS. Nearly two in every five American homes had only wireless telephones (also known as cellular telephones, cell phones, or mobile phones) during the second half of 2012—an increase of 2.4 percentage points since the first half of 2012. In addition, Read More >
Posted on byAdvancing the State of Methodological Knowledge
By thinking small, Dr. Nathaniel Schenker hopes that he and his associates will make a big contribution in the fight against cancer. Dr. Schenker is director of the Office of Research and Methodology (ORM), which serves as the central methodological research, development, and consulting unit for the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). ORM provides Read More >
Posted on byFamilies Who Have Problems Paying Medical Bills
NCHS has released a report on comparable 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 three consecutive 6-month periods from January–June 2011 to January–June 2012 of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). In this report, an NHIS Read More >
Posted on byHealth, United States, 2012
On May 30, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) published its annual report on the nation’s health. Health, United States, 2012— which includes a Special Feature on Emergency Care—is the 36th report on the health status of the nation and is submitted each year by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentTeen Birth Rates Declining
A new report from NCHS shows that teen birth rates fell steeply in the United States from 2007 through 2011, resuming a decline that began in 1991 but was briefly interrupted in 2006 and 2007. The overall rate declined 25% from 41.5 per 1,000 teenagers aged 15–19 in 2007 to 31.3 in 2011—a record low. Read More >
Posted on byHealth Behaviors of Adults
NCHS has put out a new report that presents selected prevalence estimates for five key health behaviors among adults — alcohol use, cigarette smoking, leisure-time physical activity, body mass index, and sufficient sleep. The report is based on a total of 76,669 completed interviews with a sample of adults aged 18 and over covering the Read More >
Posted on byInformation on Tornado Deaths
Though CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics does not have specific data on tornado deaths, we do have data from our mortality database on deaths from “cataclysmic storms,” which includes tornado deaths (International Classification of Diseases Code X-37). This specific ICD code includes blizzards, hurricanes and tornadoes, but doesn’t separate deaths by tornadoes alone. Below Read More >
Posted on byFood and Skin Allergies Increase in Children
Allergic conditions are among the most common medical conditions affecting children in the United States. An allergic condition is a hypersensitivity disorder in which the immune system reacts to substances in the environment that are normally considered harmless. Food or digestive allergies, skin allergies (such as eczema), and respiratory allergies (such as hay fever) are Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentConsumption of Added Sugars
Increased consumption of added sugars, which are sweeteners added to processed and prepared foods, has been linked to a decrease in intake of essential micronutrients and an increase in body weight. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 recommends limiting total intake of discretionary calories, including both added sugars and solid fats, to 5%–15% per day. Recent analyses indicate Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsSondik to Step Down as NCHS Director
HYATTSVILLE, MD – The Director of CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Dr. Edward J. Sondik, has announced that he will be leaving NCHS at the end of April. Charles J. Rothwell, currently the Center’s Director of Vital Statistics, began as Acting Director of NCHS on April 1, 2013, as CDC searches for a Read More >
Posted on byNosologists: What Do They Do and Why Is It Important?
“How many causes of death are there?” The question makes the experts from the Division of Vital Statistics (DVS) share looks and smiles as they point towards enormous binders. A death certificate often includes a series of conditions that led to the death of an individual. Each condition has a code and is tracked on Read More >
Posted on byDeclines in Infant Mortality
Infant mortality is an important indicator of the health of a nation. A new NCHS report describes the recent decline in the U.S. infant mortality rate from 2005 through 2011. Changes in infant mortality rates over time are examined by age at death, maternal race and ethnicity, cause of death, and state. In 2011, the Read More >
Posted on byNHANES’ MEC Collects Health Data
Faye McDonald Smith The Mobile Exam Center (MEC) is an important part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which, since 1999, is conducted annually to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States. NHANES conducts interviews at the home and exams at the MEC. These data Read More >
Posted on byStrategies Used by Adults to Reduce Their Prescription Drug Costs
In 2011, Americans spent $45 billion out-of-pocket on retail prescription drugs. Some adults reduce prescription drug costs by skipping doses and delaying filling prescriptions; however, some cost-reduction strategies used by adults have been associated with negative health outcomes. For example, adults who do not take prescription medication as prescribed have been shown to have poorer health status and increased emergency Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentTrends in Premarital Cohabitation
A new report from NCHS presents national estimates of first premarital cohabitations with a male partner for women aged 15–44 in the United States using the 2006–2010 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). Trends in pregnancies within first premarital cohabiting unions and differences by Hispanic origin and race, and education are also presented. Estimates from the report show that nearly half (48%) of women Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsMore Adults taking using Cholesterol-Lowering Medicine
Each year, more than 2 million Americans suffer from acute cardiovascular events that account for approximately one-fourth of the total cost of inpatient hospital care. Control of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL–C) has been shown to substantially reduce cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. It can be managed with lifestyle changes, medications, or a combination of these Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsTrends in Inpatient Hospital Deaths
NCHS has released a report that presented National Hospital Discharge Survey data from 2000 through 2010 on patients who died while being hospitalized. In 2000, there were 2.4 million deaths in the United States, and in 2010 there were 2.5 million. In both years, about one-third of these deaths occurred in short-stay, general hospitals, despite research Read More >
Posted on byHealth 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 >
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