NCHS: A Blog of the National Center for Health Statistics
Cigarette smoking linked to depression in adults
Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (2005-2008) has found that adults ages 20 and over with depression were more likely to be cigarette smokers than those without depression. This key finding is the focus of a new report from NCHS, “Depression and Smoking in the U.S. Household Population Aged 20 and Over, Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentTeen birth rates drop after two-year increase
A new report from NCHS, “Births: Preliminary Data for 2008,” found that the teen birth rate in the U.S. fell 2 percent between 2007 and 2008, after rising the previous two years. In 2008, the birth rate declined for all age groups under 20 years, except for the youngest teenagers ages 10-14, which remained unchanged Read More >
Posted on byMore Physicians Switch to Electronic Medical Record Use
The recent report “Electronic Medical Record Use by Office-based Physicians and Their Practices: United States, 2007” presents new information from the 2007 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey regarding the growing use of electronic medical records systems by office-based physicians as well as their plans to install new electronic medical record systems within the next Read More >
Posted on byCesarean delivery – more popular than ever before
A report released yesterday from the National Center for Health Statistics showed that the cesarean rate rose by 53% from 1996 to 2007, reaching 32%, the highest rate ever reported in the United States. The 1.4 million cesarean births in 2007 represented about one-third of all births in the United States. Although clear clinical indications often exist for a cesarean Read More >
Posted on byWho will be drinking on St. Patty’s Day?
Who will have whiskey in the jar on one of the most popular drinking days of the year? Well, on average, men are more likely than women to be current drinkers (68% compared with 55%). Men are also more likely to be moderate (22%) or heavy drinkers (6%) than women (7% and 4%, respectively). Youth also contributes to heavier drinking: Read More >
Posted on byOut-of-hospital births increase
A recent report released by NCHS showed an increase in the number of home and out-of-hospital births. In 2006, there were 38,568 out-of-hospital births in the United States, including 24,970 home births and 10,781 births occurring in freestanding birthing centers. The report also found that there was a decline between 1990 and 2004 in the number Read More >
Posted on byNew marriage and cohabitation data available
The latest in-depth data on marriage and cohabition (2002) is available here. This report features the probability that a first marriage will remain intact by sex, race, ethnicity, education, and family structure. Marriage and Cohabitation Quick Look Read More >
Posted on byAdults’ daily protein intake much more than recommended
March is National Nutrition month, making it a great time to look at where America stands in its nutrition and diet. One important nutrient is protein, which is essential to the human body because it is part of every cell, issue, and organ, allowing them to grow and repair. Proteins can be found in a Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsWill anemia kill you?
Well, that depends of course – however, anemia can be deadly. In 2006, the latest data available, 3,996 deaths were attributed to anemia (that’s 1.3 per 100,000 population). In comparison, heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, accounted for 631,636 deaths in 2006, a rate of 200.2 per 100,000 population. However, Read More >
Posted on byNCHS releases 33rd annual report card on Nation’s health
Each year, NCHS releases a report to Congress and to the President concerning the nation’s health. This report is available to the media and the public, and the 33rd edition, Health United States, 2009, can be found at www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus.htm. Each year the report features a special section, and this year’s focus is the growing use Read More >
Posted on byAmericans turning to internet for health info
From January through June 2009, 51% of adults aged 18-64 had used the Internet to look up health information during the past 12 months. This information was collected from NCHS’ National Health Interview Survey, featured in a new web release. The data underscores the important role that IT is playing in the health field, as Read More >
Posted on byHigh cholesterol? It could be happening to you…
In 2005–2006, 16% of adults had serum total cholesterol levels of 240 mg/dL or greater (high cholesterol). The good news is that generally, for Americans 20 years of age and over, cholesterol levels are declining. However, this decline was seen for men 40 years and over and for women 60 years and over, with little Read More >
Posted on byDepression in the United States
Depression is a common and debilitating illness. According to the American Psychiatric Association, depression is characterized by changes in mood, self-attitude, cognitive functioning, sleep, appetite, and energy level. Here’s some facts about depression in the U.S. you may not know: More than 1 in 20 Americans age 12 and over have depression. More than 1 Read More >
Posted on byObesity – Americans still growing, but not as fast
New data in the latest Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) from NCHS statisticians show that the increasing rate of obesity may be slowing, although the prevalence of adults who are obese is still high. The numbers from 2007-2008 show that 33.8% of U.S. adults are obese (32.2% for men, 35.5% for women). The Read More >
Posted on byCircumcision Trends, by U.S. region, 1980-2006
Male newborn infants circumcised during hospitalizations, by U.S. region, 1980-2006: Read More >
Posted on byJanuary is cervical cancer awareness month…
Cervical cancer once was the leading cause of cancer death for women in the U.S., and although the cases and deaths of cervical cancer have decreased over the past 40 years due largely to regular Pap tests, the disease still was responsible for almost 4,000 deaths in 2006 (most recent data available). The rates vary somewhat, but Read More >
Posted on byA New Year’s resolution – Don’t follow the masses when it comes to exercise
What’s your new year’s resolution? For many people this time of year, losing weight and/or getting active tops the list. But when it comes to getting exercise (or, as we at NCHS term it, regular leisure-time physical activity), only about 35% of Americans are making it a priority (although, the percentage of those getting regular Read More >
Posted on byWhat’s your chance of having a Christmas baby?
The short answer is, not as high as in other months. Still, the possibility is there. In fact, if you look at the seasonally adjusted birth rates by month, your chances in December are just as good as having a baby in March or May. The lowest rate is April (13.7 live births per 1,000 Read More >
Posted on byHow’s your state doing?
NCHS now has an easy way for you to check out where your state stands on a variety of health measures compared with the nation as a whole and other states, including the following: Mortality from leading causes of death Birth data, including births to unmarried mothers, teen births, cesarean deliveries, low birthweight births, prenatal Read More >
Posted on by 2 CommentsA holiday present for everyone – life expectancy
What gift did every American get this year? Well, for one thing, everyone now has a longer life expectancy. Of course, it’s not a one size fits all – there are still differences among the races and genders, as shown in the bullets below. Everyone’s life expectancy has increased, however, regardless of where he or she started Read More >
Posted on byReport examines racial differences in nursing homes
In 2004, 11% of the 1.3 million nursing home residents aged 65 and over in the United States were black. Recent research suggests that black nursing home residents may be more likely than residents of other races to reside in facilities that have serious deficiencies, such as low staffing ratios and greater financial vulnerability. The Read More >
Posted on byMost dangerous states to be riding in a car this holiday weekend
Are you driving to your Thanksgiving dinner this weekend? Beware that your risk while rolling down the highway may be higher or lower depending on the state in which you are traveling. When it comes to dying in a car accident, some states are more deadly than others, and the ones at the top may surprise you. See the Read More >
Posted on byHave late preterm births increased among mothers of all ages?
Late preterm birth rates have risen among mothers of all ages from 1990 to 2006, including teenage mothers (up 5 percent). Among mothers age 25 years and over, late preterm birth rates increased by more than 20 percent from 1990 to 2006. Younger (under age 20 years) and older (40 years and over) mothers are Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentNearly 1 in 5 School-Aged Children Have Some Kind of Basic Functioning Difficulty
A new report from the National Center for Health Statistics shows that children with and without functioning difficulty differ greatly in their use of educational and health care services. This report presents estimates of basic actions difficulty, which includes difficulties related to sensory, motor, cognitive, and emotional or behavioral functioning, in U.S. children aged 5–17 Read More >
Posted on byInfant mortality – Where does the U.S. stand?
In 2005, the latest year that the international ranking is available for, the United States ranked 30th in the world in infant mortality, behind most European countries, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and Israel. The United States international ranking in infant mortality fell from 12th in the world in 1960, to 23rd Read More >
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