Archive
Selected Oral Health Indicators in the United States, 2005–2008
Selected Oral Health Indicators in the United States, 2005–2008
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
Key findings
Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005–2008
- More than one in five people had untreated dental caries and 75% had existing dental restorations.
- Prevalence of untreated dental caries varied significantly by poverty level for all age groups; however, there was little difference in dental restoration prevalence by poverty level for children and adolescents aged 5–19 years.
- Twenty-seven percent of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years had at least one dental sealant.
- Nearly 38% of non-Hispanic black adults had not lost a permanent tooth compared with 51% for non-Hispanic white and 52% for Mexican-American persons.
- Almost 23% of adults aged 65 and over were edentulous.
Diagnostic History and Treatment of School-aged Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Special Health Care Needs
Diagnostic History and Treatment of School-aged Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Special Health Care Needs
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
Key findings
Data from the 2011 Survey of Pathways to Diagnosis and Services
- The median age when school-aged children with special health care needs (CSHCN) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were first identified as having ASD was 5 years.
- School-aged CSHCN identified as having ASD at a younger age (under age 5 years) were identified most often by generalists and psychologists, while those identified later (aged 5 years and over) were identified primarily by psychologists and psychiatrists.
- Nine out of 10 school-aged CSHCN with ASD use one or more services to meet their developmental needs. Social skills training and speech or language therapy are the most common, each used by almost three-fifths of these children.
- More than one-half of school-aged CSHCN with ASD use psychotropic medication.
Health Care Access and Utilization Among Young Adults: Early Release of Estimates From the National Health Interview Survey, January-September 2011
Health Care Access and Utilization Among Young Adults: Early Release of Estimates From the National Health Interview Survey, January-September 2011 (PDF)
Source: National Center for Health Statitics
Highlights
- From January through September 2011, 77.9% of women aged 19– 25 had a usual place for health care compared with 62.5% of men in the same age group.
- Among adults aged 19–25, those with public health coverage were more likely to have had an emergency room visit in the past 12 months than those with private coverage or the uninsured.
- Among those aged 19–25, Hispanic adults were less likely to have had a usual place for health care, a doctor visit in the past 12 months, or an emergency room visit in the past 12 months than non-Hispanic black adults, and less likely to have had a usual place for health care or a doctor visit in the past 12 months than non-Hispanic white adults.
- Adults aged 19–25 who were not poor were more likely to have had a usual place for health care and less likely to have had an emergency room visit compared with those who were poor. No significant differences were observed between poor and near poor in the percentages for having a usual place for health care, a doctor visit in the past 12 months, or an emergency room visit in the past 12 months.
- Twenty-eight percent of uninsured adults aged 19–25 delayed or did not get needed medical care due to cost compared with 7.6% of those with private health insurance and 10.1% of those with public coverage.
First Marriages in the United States: Data From the 2006–2010 National Survey of Family Growth
First Marriages in the United States: Data From the 2006–2010 National Survey of Family Growth (PDF)
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
Objectives—This report shows trends and group differences in current marital status, with a focus on first marriages among women and men aged 15–44 years in the United States. Trends and group differences in the timing and duration of first marriages are also discussed. These data are based on the 2006–2010 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). National estimates of probabilities of first marriage by age and probabilities of separation and divorce for women and men’s first marriages are presented by a variety of demographic characteristics. Data are compared with similar measures for 1982, 1995, and 2002.
Methods—The analyses presented in this report are based on a nationally representative sample of 12,279 women and 10,403 men aged 15–44 years in the household population of the United States. The overall response rate for the 2006–2010 NSFG was 77%—78% for women and 75% for men.
Results—The percentage of women who were currently cohabiting (living with a man in a sexual relationship) rose from 3.0% in 1982 to 11% in 2006– 2010; it was higher in some groups, including Hispanic groups, and the less educated. In 2006–2010, women and men married for the first time at older ages than in previous years. The median age at first marriage was 25.8 for women and 28.3 for men. Premarital cohabitation contributed to the delay in first marriage for both women and men.
75 Years of Mortality in the United States, 1935–2010
75 Years of Mortality in the United States, 1935–2010
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
Key findings
- Although single year improvements in mortality were often small, the age-adjusted risk of dying dropped 60 percent from 1935 to 2010.
- Heart disease, cancer, and stroke were among the five leading causes every year between 1935 and 2010.
- The risk of dying decreased for all age groups but was greater for younger age groups with a 94 percent reduction in death rates at 1–4 years compared with a 38 percent decline at 85 years or more.
- Age-adjusted death rates were consistently greater for males than females (for example, 65 percent higher than those for females between 1975 and 1981 compared with 40 percent higher in 2010) as each decreased substantially between 1935 and 2010.
- The risk of dying decreased for all race subgroups of the U.S. population from 1935 to 2010; however, differences persisted between groups (the gap was the widest between 1988 and 1996).
Three Decades of Twin Births in the United States, 1980–2009
Three Decades of Twin Births in the United States, 1980–2009
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
Key findings
- In 2009, 1 in every 30 babies born in the United States was a twin, compared with 1 in every 53 babies in 1980.
- The twin birth rate rose 76 percent from 1980 through 2009, from 18.9 to 33.3 per 1,000 births.
- If the rate of twin births had not changed since 1980, approximately 865,000 fewer twins would have been born in the United States over the last three decades.
- Twinning rates rose by at least 50 percent in the vast majority of states and the District of Columbia.
- Over the three decades, twin birth rates rose by nearly 100 percent among women aged 35–39 and more than 200 percent among women aged 40 and over.
- The older age of women at childbirth in 2009 compared with three decades earlier accounts for only about one-third of the rise in twinning over the 30 years.
Drug Poisoning Deaths in the United States, 1980–2008
Drug Poisoning Deaths in the United States, 1980–2008
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
Key findings
Data from the National Vital Statistics System Mortality File
- In 2008, poisoning became the leading cause of injury death in the United States and nearly 9 out of 10 poisoning deaths are caused by drugs.
- During the past three decades, the number of drug poisoning deaths increased sixfold from about 6,100 in 1980 to 36,500 in 2008.
- During the most recent decade, the number of drug poisoning deaths involving opioid analgesics more than tripled from about 4,000 in 1999 to 14,800 in 2008.
- Opioid analgesics were involved in more than 40% of all drug poisoning deaths in 2008, up from about 25% in 1999.
- In 2008, the drug poisoning death rate was higher for males, people aged 45–54 years, and non-Hispanic white and American Indian or Alaska Native persons than for females and those in other age and racial and ethnic groups.
Residential Care Facilities: A Key Sector in the Spectrum of Long-term Care Providers in the United States
Key Findings
- In 2010, residential care facilities (RCFs) totaled 31,100, with 971,900 beds nationwide.
- About one-half of RCFs were small facilities with 4–10 beds. The remainder comprised medium facilities with 11–25 beds (16%), large facilities with 26–100 beds (28%), and extra large facilities with more than 100 beds (7%).
- One-tenth of all RCF residents lived in small RCFs and about that percentage (9%) lived in medium facilities, while the majority resided in large (52%) or extra large (29%) RCFs.
- About 4 in 10 RCFs had one or more residents who had some or all of their long-term care services paid by Medicaid.
- Larger RCFs were more likely than small RCFs to be chain-affiliated and to provide occupational therapy, physical therapy, social services counseling, and case management.
Physician Assistant and Advance Practice Nurse Care in Hospital Outpatient Departments: United States, 2008–2009
Physician Assistant and Advance Practice Nurse Care in Hospital Outpatient Departments: United States, 2008–2009
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
Key findings
- Hospital outpatient department visits attended only by physician assistants (PAs) or advance practice nurses (APNs) increased by 50% from 2000–2001 (10%) through 2008–2009 (15%).
- The more urban the hospital location, the lower the percentage of visits seen only by PAs or APNs; decreasing from 36% in nonmetropolitan areas to 6% in large central metropolitan areas.
- A higher percentage of PA- or APN-only visits were to general medicine (21%) and obstetric or gynecology (19%) clinics compared with pediatric (8%) and surgical (5%) clinics.
- PAs and APNs saw a higher percentage of visits where a new problem was the major reason for the visit (22%) compared with visits for a chronic condition [routine (11%) or flare-up (14%)], or pre- or postsurgery care (6%).
Physician assistants (PAs) are state-licensed health professionals practicing medicine under a physician’s supervision (1,2). Advance practice nurses (APNs) are registered nurses (RNs) with advanced training. PAs and APNs have been expanding in supply and playing increasingly diversified roles in the U.S. health care system (1–3). Nationwide, there were 80,000 PAs and 250,000 APNs in 2008. The majority of APNs are nurse practitioners (NPs) (3). In 2008, 38% of NPs, 58% of nurse midwives (NMs), another type of APN, and 23% of PAs worked in hospital settings (1,3).
Births: Final Data for 2009
Births: Final Data for 2009 (PDF)
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
Objectives–This report presents 2009 data on U.S. births according to a wide variety of characteristics. Data are presented for maternal characteristics including age, live-birth order, race and Hispanic origin, marital status, hypertension during pregnancy, attendant at birth, method of delivery, and infant characteristics (period of gestation, birthweight, and plurality). Birth and fertility rates by age, live-birth order, race and Hispanic origin, and marital status also are presented. Selected data by mother’s state of residence are shown, as well as birth rates by age and race of father. Trends in fertility patterns and maternal and infant characteristics are described and interpreted.
Methods–Descriptive tabulations of data reported on the birth certificates of the 4.13 million births that occurred in 2009 are presented. Denominators for population-based rates are postcensal estimates derived from the U.S. 2000 census.
Results—The number of births declined to 4,130,665 in 2009, 3 percent less than in 2008. The general fertility rate declined 3 percent to 66.7 per 1,000 women 15 to 44 years. The teenage birth rate fell 6 percent to 39.1 per 1,000. Birth rates for women in each 5-year age group 20 to 39 years declined, but the rate for women 40-44 years continued to rise. The total fertility rate (estimated number of births over a woman’s lifetime) was down 4 percent to 2,007.0 per 1,000 women. The number and rate of births to unmarried women declined, whereas the percentage of nonmarital births increased slightly to 41.0. The cesarean delivery rate rose again, to 32.9 percent. The preterm birth rate declined to 12.18 percent; the low birthweight rate was stable at 8.16 percent. The twin birth rate increased to 33.2 per 1,000; the triplet and higher-order multiple birth rate rose 4 percent to 153.5 per 100,000.
Antidepressant Use in Persons Aged 12 and Over: United States, 2005–2008
Antidepressant Use in Persons Aged 12 and Over: United States, 2005–2008
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
Key findings
- Eleven percent of Americans aged 12 years and over take antidepressant medication.
- Females are more likely to take antidepressants than are males, and non-Hispanic white persons are more likely to take antidepressants than are non-Hispanic black and Mexican-American persons.
- About one-third of persons with severe depressive symptoms take antidepressant medication.
- More than 60% of Americans taking antidepressant medication have taken it for 2 years or longer, with 14% having taken the medication for 10 years or more.
- Less than one-third of Americans taking one antidepressant medication and less than one-half of those taking multiple antidepressants have seen a mental health professional in the past year.
Early Releases of Selected Estimates From the National Health Interview Survey
Early Releases of Selected Estimates From the National Health Interview Survey
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
From press release (PDF):
In this release, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) updates estimates for 15 selected health measures based on data from the January–March 2011 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and presents estimates from 1997 through 2010 for comparison. The 15 Early Release measures are being published prior to final data editing and final weighting, to provide access to the most recent information from NHIS. The estimates will be updated as each new quarter of NHIS data becomes available.
…
The 15 measures included in the present report are lack of health insurance coverage and type of coverage, having a usual place to go for medical care, obtaining needed medical care, receipt of influenza vaccination, receipt of pneumococcal vaccination, obesity, leisure-time physical activity, current smoking, alcohol consumption, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing, general health status, personal care needs, serious psychological distress, diagnosed diabetes, and asthma episodes and current asthma.
+ Full Release (PDF)
Blood Pressure Measurements at Emergency Department Visits by Adults: United States, 2007–2008
Blood Pressure Measurements at Emergency Department Visits by Adults: United States, 2007–2008
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
Key findings
Data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey
- Blood pressure (BP) is severely elevated at 16.3%, and moderately elevated at 27.2%, of hospital emergency department (ED) visits. Severely and moderately elevated BPs are more common at ED visits than at visits to patients’ primary care providers in hospital outpatient departments and physician offices.
- Severely and moderately elevated BPs are more common at ED visits by older age groups and men.
- Severely elevated BP is more common at ED visits by non-Hispanic black persons (19.7%) than by non-Hispanic white (15.3%) or Hispanic (15.3%) persons.
- Severely elevated BP is more common at ED visits by Medicare beneficiaries (19.6%) than by those with private insurance (16.3%) or Medicaid (14.1%). Moderately elevated BP is more common at ED visits by uninsured patients than by privately insured patients or Medicaid beneficiaries.
Childbearing Differences Among Three Generations of U.S. Women
Childbearing Differences Among Three Generations of U.S. Women
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
Key Findings
- Of three generations of women born in 1910, 1935, and 1960, those born in 1935 had the most children (on average 3.0 children per woman) and those born in 1960 had the fewest (2.0).
<liWomen born in 1910 and 1935 started their childbearing at the youngest ages with an "average" or median age at first birth of 21 years; more than 70 percent of their first births occurred to women under age 25. The median age at first birth was oldest for the 1960 birth cohort (23 years).
<liThirty-seven percent of women born in 1935 had four or more children; women born in 1960 were the most likely to have two children (35 percent); and women born in 1910 were equally likely to have no, one, or two children (approximately 22 percent each).- Of these three cohorts, women born in 1910 were the most likely to be childless by age 50 (20 percent), whereas those born in 1935 were the least likely (11 percent).
The Changing Profile of Autopsied Deaths in the United States, 1972–2007
The Changing Profile of Autopsied Deaths in the United States, 1972–2007
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
Key Findings
- The percentage of deaths for which an autopsy was performed declined more than 50 percent from 1972 through 2007, from 19.3 percent to 8.5 percent.
- External causes accounted for 9 of the 10 most frequently autopsied causes of death.
- The percentage autopsied declined with age after ages 15–24: from 60 percent at 15–24, to 11 percent at 55–64, to less than 5 percent at 65–74.
- In 1972, 79 percent of autopsies were performed for deaths due to disease conditions and 19 percent for deaths due to external causes. By 2007, the respective percentages were 46 percent and 50 percent.
- While the age distribution of deaths shifted to older ages from 1972 through 2007, autopsied deaths were increasingly concentrated in the age groups 1–34 and 35–64.
An autopsy, the medical examination of a deceased person, may confirm clinical findings, provide more complete information to describe cause of death, or uncover conditions not recognized clinically prior to death (1). Two types are performed in the United States: a) hospital or clinical autopsies, which family or physicians request to clarify cause of death or assess care, and b) medicolegal autopsies, which legal officials order to further investigate the circumstances surrounding a death (2). The autopsy rate, or percentage of deaths that received this final assessment, was stable from the 1950s until the beginning of the 1970s, when the autopsy rate began to decrease (3). This report uses mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) over a 35-year period to examine changes in the autopsy rate and in the distribution of those autopsied by age and cause. Variation in autopsy patterns has implications for which deaths may have a more complete and conclusive cause-of-death determination.
New Study: Home Health/Hospice Care Aides Financially Vulnerable but Satisfied With Their Jobs
New Study: Home Health/Hospice Care Aides Financially Vulnerable but Satisfied With Their Jobs (PDF)
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
The picture that emerges from this analysis is of a financially vulnerable workforce, but one in which the majority of aides are satisfied with their jobs. The findings may be useful in informing initiatives to train, recruit, and retain these direct care workers.
Dietary Supplement Use Among U.S. Adults Has Increased Since NHANES III (1988–1994)
Dietary Supplement Use Among U.S. Adults Has Increased Since NHANES III (1988–1994)
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
Key findings
- Use of dietary supplements is common among the U.S. adult population. Over 40% used supplements in 1988–1994, and over one-half in 2003–2006.
- Multivitamins/multiminerals are the most commonly used dietary supplements, with approximately 40% of men and women reporting use during 2003–2006.
- Use of supplemental calcium increased from 28% during 1988–1994 to 61% during 2003–2006 among women aged 60 and over.
- Use of supplements containing folic acid among women aged 20–39 did not increase since 1988–1994. In 2003–2006, 34% of women aged 20–39 used a dietary supplement containing folic acid.
- Use of dietary supplements containing vitamin D increased from 1988–1994 through 1999–2002 for men and women in most age groups.
History of the Statistical Classification of Diseases and Causes of Death
History of the Statistical Classification of Diseases and Causes of Death (PDF)
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
This report describes the historic development of the disease nomenclatures and classifications that ultimately became the major international standard known as the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Classification of Diseases (ICD). Written largely at the initiative of Dr. Iwao Moriyama, a participant in these developments for much of the 20th century, the report describes the historical, cultural, and scientific environment in which ICD evolved, expanded, and improved. Although the report focuses on the application of ICD to mortality, it also touches on nonmortality applications, particularly as these affected the classification for mortality.
Ambulatory Medical Care Utilization Estimates for 2007
Ambulatory Medical Care Utilization Estimates for 2007 (PDF)
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
Patients in the United States made an estimated 1.2 billion visits to physician offices and hospital OPDs and EDs, a rate of 405.0 visits per 100 persons annually. This was not significantly different than the rate of 381.9 visits per 100 persons in 2006, neither were significant differences found in overall visit rates by age, sex, or geographic region. Visit distribution by ambulatory care setting differed by poverty level in the patient’s ZIP Code of residence, with higher proportions of visits to hospital OPDs and EDs as poverty levels increased. Between 1997 and 2007, the age-adjusted visit rate increased by 11 percent, fueled mainly by a 29 percent increase in the visit rate to medical specialty offices. Nonillness and noninjury conditions, such as general and prenatal exams, accounted for the largest percentage of ambulatory care diagnoses in 2007, about 19 per 100 visits. Seven of 10 ambulatory care visits had at least one medication provided, prescribed, or continued in 2007, for a total of 2.7 billion drugs overall. These were not significantly different than 2006 figures. Analgesics were the most common therapeutic category, accounting for 13.1 drugs per 100 drugs reported, and were most often utilized at primary care and ED visits. The number of viral vaccines that were ordered or provided increased by 79 percent, from 33.2 million occurrences in 2006 to 59.3 million in 2007; significant increases were also noted for anticonvulsants and antiemetics.
Home Health Care and Discharged Hospice Care Patients: United States, 2000 and 2007
Home Health Care and Discharged Hospice Care Patients: United States, 2000 and 2007 (PDF)
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
Each day in 2007, there were an estimated 1,459,900 home health care patients. They were predominantly aged 65 years or over, female, and white. Their mean length of service was 315 days, and their most common primary diagnosis at admission was diabetes mellitus. About one-fourth of them had advance care planning and one-fifth had at least one overnight hospital stay since admission to the home health care agency. In 2007, there were 1,045,100 discharged hospice care patients. The majority of discharged patients were aged 65 or over, female, and white, and most were discharged deceased. Their mean length of service was 65 days, and the most common primary diagnosis at admission was malignant neoplasm. Most of them had advance care planning, and about one-fourth had three or more types of advance care planning instruments.
