NCHS: A Blog of the National Center for Health Statistics
Data 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 CommentReport released on fetal mortality
Yesterday, the National Center for Health Statistics released the Data Brief “The Challenge of Fetal Mortality.” Key findings include the following: The magnitude of fetal mortality is considerable: About 1 million fetal deaths occur at any gestational age in the United States each year, including almost 26,000 at 20 weeks of gestation or more. Even Read More >
Posted on byHealth news you may have missed
The National Center for Health Statistics’ Office of Public Affairs keeps an archive of previously released press releases going back to 1994. The news releases cover the wide range of important and interesting health topics that our data cover. To search these news releases by date or by subject matter, visit the NCHS Press Room and Read More >
Posted on byBirths–Using the NCHS Vital Stats Tool
NCHS birth tables with a variety of variables for selection are available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/datawh/vitalstats/VitalStatsbirths.htm. By selecting the national or subnational (i.e., state and some county) levels, you can find specific statistics for national, state, and some county birth rates, fertility rates, method of delivery (vaginal or cesarean), length of pregnancy, birthweight, characteristics of the mother Read More >
Posted on byHow you can use CDC WONDER
Are you interested in finding death statistics? Leading causes of death or specific death rates by age, race, ethnicity, and sex (as well as other selected characteristics) are available in the WONDER database (http://wonder.cdc.gov/). You can utilize this resource to get death rates data, but it also can be used to build tables, charts, and graphs. Several specific Read More >
Posted on byNCHS releases new 2008 health insurance data
The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) releases quarterly reports on selected health estimates from the National Health Interview Survey that include health insurance coverage across the nation. It also includes topics such as smoking, obesity, and HIV. Today, NCHS released the most recent data, that from January through September 2008. The data showed no Read More >
Posted on byNew birth statistics released–teen birth rate raises once again
New birth statistics released today by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reveal that the U.S. teen birth rate increased slightly in 2007 for the second straight year. The findings are published in a new report, “Births: Preliminary Data for 2007,” based on analysis of nearly 99% of birth records reported to 50 States Read More >
Posted on byWireless-only phone use varies widely by state
A new study released today by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reveals that Oklahoma is leading the nation’s wireless-only movement, with more than one in four households (26.2%) in that state using only wireless phones in 2007. On the other end of the spectrum, only 5.1% of households in Vermont were wireless-only in Read More >
Posted on byConsumer-directed health care–what is it?
Consumer-directed health care enables individuals to have more control over when and how they access care, what types of care they use, and how much they spend on health care services. National attention to consumer-directed health care increased following the enactment of the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003, which established tax-advantaged Read More >
Posted on byA brief look at heart disease
As a farewell to “American Heart Month,” here’s a brief synopsis of why the heart and its health affects so many of us: Heart disease is the nation’s leading cause of death, responsible for 629,191 deaths in 2006 (National Vital Statistics System, 2006). Heart disease is the nation’s leading diagnosis for hospitalization, at 4.2 million Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentReport card for Nation’s health focuses on young adults aged 18-29
Young adults in the United States aged 18-29 face a number of health challenges, including increases in obesity, high injury rates, and a lack of insurance coverage compared to other adults, according to the latest report on the nation’s health from NCHS. Obesity rates have tripled among young adults in the past three decades, rising Read More >
Posted on byA brief look at digestive disease
Health care visits for digestive symptoms. – Physician office visits: 35.9 million in 2006 and 28.7 in 2005 (link to 2006 and 2005 reports) – Hospital outpatient visits: 3.2 million in 2006 and 3.6 million in 2005 (link to 2006 and 2005 reports) – Emergency room visits: 7.2 million in 2006 and 6.9 million in 2005 Read More >
Posted on byA brief look at homicide
Health care use: 1.8 million emergency department visits for assault – National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, 2006 Mortality: Number of deaths from homicide: 18,124 Deaths per 100,00 population: 6.1 Firearm homicide deaths: 12,352 Deaths per 100,000 population: 4.2 –Deaths: Final Data for 2005 Read More >
Posted on byOutpatient surgeries increase in the U.S.
The number of outpatient surgery visits in the United States increased from 1996 to 2006, from 20.8 million to 34.7 million visits. Outpatient surgery visits accounted for about one half of all surgery visits in 1996 but nearly two thirds of all surgery visits in 2006. A new report from NCHS, “Ambulatory Surgery in the Read More >
Posted on byA brief look at anemia
Anemia/Iron Deficiency: Morbidity Percentage of children ages 1-2 years with iron deficiency: 7 Percentage of females ages 12-49 with iron deficiency: 12 Source: Iron Deficiency–United States, 1999-2000 Nursing home care Number of residents with anemia: 174,600 Percentage of residents with anemia: 1.1 Source: National Nursing Home Survey, 1999 Mortality Number of deaths: Read More >
Posted on byNew Health E-Stat integrates obesity and overweight prevalence data
Results from the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), using measured heights and weights, indicate that an estimated 32.7 percent of U.S. adults 20 years and older are overweight, 34.3 percent are obese and 5.9 percent are extremely obese. Additional data as well as figures and tables can be found by visiting the Read More >
Posted on byTeen births increase in over one-half of states
The teen birth rate increased in more than half of all 50 states in 2006, according to an NCHS report released today. Click here for the report. The data show teen birth rates were highest in the South and Southwest, with the highest rate recorded in Mississippi (68.4), followed by New Mexico (64.1) and Texas Read More >
Posted on by2008: A year in review
The National Center for Health Statistics releases a variety of reports every year that cover a wide range of health issues. The vital statistics and national surveys create a definitive picture of the health status of the American population, informing the public and guiding policy. Many of the reports are accompanied by press releases, which highlight key points. For Read More >
Posted on by1 in 6 households only have wireless telephones
A new report released today by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics has the latest estimates for the number of households using wireless telephones exclusively, as well as general use of wireless phones by the population. NCHS keeps track of wireless phone usage for methodological purposes relating to its surveys. Visit www.cdc.gov/nchs for more information, or Read More >
Posted on byNew report on CAM therapy
A new report was released by NCHS in collaboration with NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. This report covers complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in the United States and common CAM therapies used by adults and children. Highlights: 4 in 10 adults use CAM therapy. 1 in 9 children use CAM therapy. Click here for Read More >
Posted on byHealth insurance is related to marital status
Overall, unmarried (divorced or never married) women aged 25-64 years are more likely to be uninsured (21%) than married women (13%) in the same age group.. Poor married women are more likely to be uninsured than poor unmarried women, in part because they are less likely to have Medicaid coverage. See more at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db11.htm. Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsA brief look at accidental death for teens
Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death for U.S. teenagers 15-19 years of age (2005, most recent data available). The top three causes- Motor Vehicle Traffic accounted for 73% of these deaths. Poisoning accounted for 9.5%. Drowning accounted for 4.7%. Click here to visit CDC’s Injury Center. To get other mortality statistics, please visit Read More >
Posted on byA brief look at emergency room visits
In 2006, about 4 out of every 10 people visited an emergency room. Of those visits– About 22% were seen in less than 15 minutes. About 13% needed hospital admission. Only about 2% needed to transer to higher level or specialized care. The most common diagnosis in emergency departments–injury and poisoning. For more NCHS Fast Stats, Read More >
Posted on byA brief look at multiple births
For births in 2005–most recent data; twin births continued to increase (42% since 1990), while higher-order births continued to decrease. Number of twin births: 133,122 Number of triplet births: 6,208 Number of quadruplet births: 418 Number of quintuplets and other higher order births: 68 For more information, click here. Read More >
Posted on byA brief look at asthma
Two weeks ago, NCHS released a report concerning the prevalence of food allergies in children. In this report, the authors reported that “children with food allergy are two to four times more likely to have other related conditions such as asthma and other allergies, compared with children without food allergies.” According to the report, about Read More >
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