NCHS: A Blog of the National Center for Health Statistics
Father’s Day
Father’s Day approaches. Most of the data we at the National Center for Health Statistics have on fathers is found in our National Vital Statistics Report Births: Final Data for 2004. The birth rate per 1,000 men aged 15–54 years was 48.8 in 2004, slightly lower than the rate in 2003 (48.9), but higher than Read More >
Posted on byAlzheimer’s Disease Prevalence Data
Periodically we receive questions about the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in the United States. At the National Center for Health Statistics we don’t track the prevalence of the disease other than in terms of mortality and hospice and nursing home care. The National Institutes on Aging have produced prevalence estimates and projections as has the Office Read More >
Posted on byMaternal Mortality
In 1915, the maternal mortality rate was 607.9 deaths per 100,000 live births for the birth registration area. In 2003, the maternal mortality rate was 12.1 deaths per 100,000 live births in the United States. Despite this tremendous overall improvement, maternal mortality continues to be a significant public health issue and commands an enormous amount Read More >
Posted on byMorbid Obesity
Overweight and obesity data collected by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for the National Center for Health Statistics show obesity increasing among Americans of all ages. Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater. There is a subset of obesity called morbid or extreme obesity which is defined Read More >
Posted on byTuberculosis
Tuberculosis has been in the news lately because of the story concerning the man with “extensively drug resistant” tuberculosis (XDR TB) who has been quarantined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The National Center for Health Statistics does not track tuberculosis cases. That is done by the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Read More >
Posted on bySnakebite
Summer is upon us and with it we get a spate of questions concerning seasonal injuries and deaths. Lightning strikes. Lawn mower misadventures. Drownings. Heat stroke. And snake bites. Injuries are tracked by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, one of 14 National Centers that together comprise the Centers for Disease Control and Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentMultiple Births
The twin birth rate rose 2 percent for 2004, to 32.2 twins per 1,000 total births, another record high. The twinning rate has climbed 42 percent since 1990 (from 22.6), and 70 percent since 1980 (18.9). The number of live births in twin deliveries rose to 132,219, nearly double the number reported for 1980 (from Read More >
Posted on byChildhood Surgery
The question was raised concerning the number of children who undergo surgery. Our best source for this is our National Hospital Discharge Survey. Our most recent publication from this survey indicated some 2,310,000 surgical procedures were performed on patients under 15 years of age. Read More >
Posted on byNew Infant Mortality Report
The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics has released a new report on infant mortality that has a lot of good news and some troubling numbers, too. The lede: The infant mortality rate in the United States in 2004 was 6.78 infant (under 1 year of age) deaths per 1,000 live births, not significantly different Read More >
Posted on byNew Report on Oral Health
Americans of all ages continue to experience improvements in their oral health. However, tooth decay in primary (baby) teeth increased among children aged 2 to 5 years, according to a report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Based on data from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, the report, “Trends Read More >
Posted on byAngioplasties Increase in Number and Rate
According to Wikipedia, angioplasty was first described in 1964 by Dr. Charles Dotter and successfully used in a clinical setting in 1977 by Dr. Andreas Gruentzig. It was widely seen as a much less invasive and traumatic alternative to bypass surgery. We first regularized collection of data on angioplasties with our 1994 Hospital Discharge Survey , published as Read More >
Posted on byNew Report from Vital Statistics
The National Vital Statistics System forms the cornerstone for all US population studies. The National Vital Statistics System is the oldest and most successful example of inter-governmental data sharing in Public Health and the shared relationships, standards, and procedures form the mechanism by which NCHS collects and disseminates the Nation’s official vital statistics. These data Read More >
Posted on byUnintentional Injuries and Death
Every week the NCHS contributes a feathure called QuickStats to the CDC professional journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). For the week of April 6, 2007 the feature was entitled Percentage Change in Death Rates for the Leading Causes of Unintentional Injury, by Mechanism of Injury — United States, 1999–2004. During 1999–2004, age-adjusted unintentional injury Read More >
Posted on byMore for Mother’s Day
The mean age at first birth leveled off in 2004 to 25.2 years of age. According to our publication Births: Final Data for 2004 (see page 2): The mean or average age at first birth for the United States in 2004 was 25.2 years, unchanged from 2003. Mean age at first birth for non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic Read More >
Posted on byOverweight and obesity
The National Center for Health Statistics provides the “gold standard” for the study of overweight and obesity through the data produced by its National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Unlike some surveys which are conducted by telephone and rely upon self-reported height/weight information, the NHANES provides height and weight data acquired in a clinical setting. Read More >
Posted on byFirearms deaths
We are all horrified by the senseless murders at Virginia Tech at Blacksburg, VA. Historically, homicide has been the second leading cause of death among the young people of college agent following unintentional injuries. Deaths from firearms among 18-22 year olds: Year Deaths Rate 1999 2,442 12.54 2000 2,482 12.52 2001 2,614 12.82 2002 2,658 Read More >
Posted on byMother’s Day
As Mother’s Day approaches we get the inevitable question about the number of mothers in the United States. Short answer is that we can’t tell you but the Census Bureau estimates there were 80.5 million mothers in the US. Follow the link to lots more facts on Mother’s Day. Read More >
Posted on byAnti-depressant use by minors
Information on the number of prescriptions written to minors for anti-depressants can be found in Health, United States 2006 at Table 92. (located on page 331 of a very large .pdf file). Briefly in the period 1995-96 there were 1.9 prescriptions written for anti-depressants for every 100 persons aged 18 and under. By 2003-04 that number Read More >
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