NCHS: A Blog of the National Center for Health Statistics
Pregnancy rates decrease in United States
In 2005, an estimated 6,408,000 pregnancies resulted in 4.14 million live births, 1.21 million induced abortions, and 1.06 million fetal losses. The 2005 pregnancy rate of 103.2 pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15–44 years is 11 percent below the 1990 peak of 115.8. The teenage pregnancy rate dropped 40 percent from 1990 to 2005, reaching Read More >
Posted on byHealth insurance stats – down to basics…
In 2008, 43.8 million people of all ages(14.7%) were uninsured at the time of interview. After adjusting for age and sex, the percentage uninsured at the time of interview was 30.7% for Hispanics, 10.4% for the non-Hispanic white population, and 16.0% for the non-Hispanic black population. The percentage of people under age 65 with no Read More >
Posted on byIncrease in poisonings from opioid painkillers
NCHS recently released the report titled “Increase in Fatal Poisonings Involving Opioid Analgesics in the United States, 1999-2006.” This report shows the explosion of fatal poisonings from opioid painkillers over the past 7 years. For example, from 1999 through 2006, the number of fatal poisonings involving opioid analgesics more than tripled from 4,000 to 13,800 Read More >
Posted on byNew health insurance coverage numbers/percentages released for first quarter 2009
Today the National Center for Health Statistics released the first numbers for health insurance coverage and non-coverage for 2009 (first quarter, January through March). Below shows the percentage of the population that was uninsured last year, as well as the percentage of the population covered by a public or private plan. For more information from Read More >
Posted on byHow does your state fare when it comes to death rates from flu and pneumonia?
Age-adjusted death rates shown here are deaths per 100,000 population. To learn more, visit www.cdc.gov/nchs/deaths.htm. Read More >
Posted on byExercise not a priority for the majority of Americans
How many Americans are exercising? The answer might surprise you (or it might not). Here’s a look at the numbers. In 2008, 31.9% of U.S. adults aged 18 years and over engaged in regular leisure-time physical activity, which was higher than, but not significantly different from, the 2007 estimate of 30.8%. The annual percentages of Read More >
Posted on byMore injuries cccur at home than elsewhere
More injuries occur at a person’s house than anywhere else, a new report from NCHS shows. Also, falls are still the leading cause of injury. Other information in the report includes the following: In 2007, there were an estimated 34.3 million injury episodes. In every year during 1997–2007, the age-adjusted rate of injury episodes among Read More >
Posted on byReport on Hurricane Katrina’s effect on the number of births in the Gulf Region released
On Friday, August 28, 2009, CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics released “The Effect of Hurricane Katrina: Births in the U.S. Gulf Coast Region, Before and After the Storm.” The report documents how births were impacted in 91 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) designated counties and parishes of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi for a 12-month Read More >
Posted on byLouisiana tops homicide, injury by firearms list
In 2006, Louisiana had the highest age-adjusted rate of homicides and injuries by firearms out of all 50 states: Death rate from homicides: 12.8 deaths per 100,000 population Rate of injury by firearms: 19.3 out of 100,000 populuation For the complete listing of states, visit the report. In 2005, Louisiana also topped all 50 states Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentWomen starting their families later in life
Did you know that in the United States, the average age of a mother at first birth has increased 3.6 years since 1970? Not only are U.S. women starting their families later in life, but the trend depends a great deal on a person’s race/ethnicity and where she lives. Also, the U.S. has a much Read More >
Posted on byObesity information-it starts with the letters NHANES
Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released information concerning the prevalence and costs of the growing epidemic of obesity in the United States. Some of the most critical information concerning the weight of the nation is collected in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which takes actual measurements of a Read More >
Posted on byThe cost of complementary and alternative medicine
A new report examining the costs of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and visits to CAM practitioners was released by NCHS today, in conjunction with the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health. The report estimates that– Adults in the U.S. spent $33.9 billion out of pocket on Read More >
Posted on byVaccination coverage does not reach national objectives
Vaccinations are responsible for reducing disease and death; however, vaccinations among certain population subgroups remain low, and national health objectives have not been met. Despite 2010 influenza and pneumococcal vaccination objectives of 90% for adults 65 and over and 60% for younger, high-risk adults, only 66% of the former and 35% of the latter received Read More >
Posted on byUnderweight older adults, children decrease in U.S.
Poor nutrition or underlying health conditions can sometimes cause a person to be underweight. Data from the 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) showed that an estimated 1.8% of U.S. adults are underweight. Between 1988-1994 and 2003-2006, a statistically significant decrease in the percentage of those underweight was found only among those aged Read More >
Posted on byFederal report on America’s children released
Federal interagency report shows declines in preterm birth and low birthweight. Children more likely to live in poverty, less likely to have parent employed full time. These and other statistics have been compiled in America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2009. It is compiled by a number of federal agencies and provides a comprehensive Read More >
Posted on byWho marries when?
Did you know– More woman than men get married before age 40 (86% compared with 81%). Non-Hispanic black men and women aged 25–44 have lower percentages who have ever been married than non-Hispanic white and Hispanic persons of the same age. The probability of first marriage by age 18 is low for both men and Read More >
Posted on byLooking for searchable data on children’s health – check out the NSCH
Are you looking for statistics on the health of U.S. children? You may want to check out the site for the National Survey of Children’s Health, a project of the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. You can search the 2007 data set by clicking here. Or, you can find out more about the the Read More >
Posted on byYour first-line resource – order or download a copy today.
This past February, NCHS released its annual report on the nation’s health, Health, United States, 2008. This report contained a wealth of information on a wide variety of health topics, as well as a special feature on the health of young adults aged 18-29. This report can serve as a unique resource for reporters, pointing Read More >
Posted on byNew report examines data from the National Nursing Home Survey
Today, NCHS is releasing “The National Nursing Home Survey: 2004 Overview.” This report examines data from the survey and highlights key findings related to the quality of care, including advance directives, emergency care, and medications taken by nursing home residents. The data highlights include the following: • In 2004, there were 1.7 million nursing home Read More >
Posted on byEstimates of Emergency Department Capacity
A new Health E-Stat from the National Center for Health Statistics provides estimates of emergency department (ED) capacity. The role of EDs has expanded over the past few decades from treating seriously ill and injured patients to providing urgent unscheduled care to patients unable to gain timely access to their doctors. As the ED begins Read More >
Posted on byNational Survey of Family Growth–Key Statistics
The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) gathers information on family life, marriage and divorce, pregnancy, infertility, use of contraception, and men’s and women’s health. The survey results are used by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and others to plan health services and health education programs and to do statistical studies of Read More >
Posted on byMay is Mental Health Awareness Month
May has been designated Mental Health Awareness Month. Some mental health facts you may not know: More than 1 in 20 Americans aged 12 and over currently have depression (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005-2006). Over 33,000 suicides occurred in 2006; that’s about 11 deaths per 100,000 population (National Vital Statistics System, 2006). Of Read More >
Posted on byInternational unmarried childbearing trends featured in new report!
Births to unmarried women in the United States totaled 1,714,643 in 2007, 26% more than in 2002. Nearly 4 in 10 U.S. births were to unmarried women in 2007. The United States is not unique nor does it outpace other countries in nonmarital childbearing. For example, well over one half of recent births to Icelandic, Read More >
Posted on byWireless-only phone use continues to boom
Preliminary results from the July-December 2008 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) indicate that the number of American homes with only wireless telephones continues to grow. More than one of every five American homes (20.2%) had only wireless telephones (also known as cellular telephones, cell phones, or mobile phones) during the second half of 2008, an Read More >
Posted on byData on deaths due to influenza
The National Center for Health Statistics keeps track of mortality (death) across the United States. This includes tracking deaths from the eighth leading cause of death, Influenza and Pneumonia. The most recent findings (2006) are as follows: Number of deaths from Influenza and Pneumonia, 2006: 56,326 Age-adjusted death rate for Influenza and Pneumonia (deaths per 100,000 Read More >
Posted on by 1 Comment