Stats (Data) Resources

The preliminary estimate of births in 2006 was 4,265,996, an increase of 3 percent from 2005, the largest single-year increase in the number of births since 1989, and the largest number of births since 1961. The birth rate for teenagers 15–17 years rose 3 percent to 22.0 per 1,000 in 2006, whereas the birth rate for teenagers 18–19 years increased 4 percent to 73.0 per 1,000. The youngest teenagers, age 10–14 years, were the only age group under 20 years whose birth rate did not increase in 2006. Birth rates also increased for women in their twenties, thirties, and early forties between 2005 and 2006. Childbearing by unmarried women rose substantially in 2006, reaching record high levels. The birth rate rose 7 percent in 2006 to 50.6 per 1,000 unmarried women aged 15–44 years; the number of births to unmarried women increased by nearly 8 percent in 2006 to 1,641,700. The cesarean delivery rate rose to 31.1 percent of all births in 2006, another record high. The rate has climbed 50 percent over the last decade. The preterm birth rate rose slightly in 2006 (to 12.8 percent), as did the low birthweight rate (to 8.3 percent); the preterm rate has risen 21 percent and the low birthweight rate by 19 percent since 1990.

OBJECTIVES: This report presents 2004 national estimates and selected trend data on the use of nonfederal short-stay hospitals in the United States. Estimates are provided by selected patient and hospital characteristics, diagnoses, and surgical and nonsurgical procedures performed. Estimates of diagnoses and procedures are presented according to International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes.
METHODS: The estimates are based on data collected through the National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS). The survey has been conducted annually since 1965. In 2004, data were collected for approximately 371,000 discharges. Of the 476 eligible nonfederal short-stay hospitals in the sample, 439 (92 percent) responded to the survey.
RESULTS: An estimated 34.9 million inpatients were discharged from nonfederal short-stay hospitals in 2004. They used 167.9 million days of care and had an average length of stay of 4.8 days. Hospital use by age ranged from 4.3 million days of care for patients 5-14 years of age to 31.8 million days of care for 75-84 year olds. Almost a third of patients 85 years and over were discharged from hospitals to long-term care institutions. Diseases of the circulatory system was the leading diagnostic category for males. Childbirth was the leading category for females, followed by circulatory diseases. The proportion of HIV discharges who were 40 years of age and over increased from 40 percent in 1995 to 67 percent in 2004. The rate of cardiac catheterizations was higher for males than for females and higher for patients 65-74 and 75-84 years of age than for older or younger groups. The average length of stay for both vaginal and cesarean deliveries decreased from 1980 through 1995 but stays for vaginal deliveries increased 24 percent during the period from 1995 to 2004.

Martin JA. United States vital statistics and the measurement of gestational age. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2007; 21(Suppl. 2): 13–21. Estimates of the gestational age of the newborn based on US Birth Certificate data are extensively used to monitor trends in infant and maternal health and to improve our understanding of adverse pregnancy outcome. Two measures of gestational age, the ‘date of the last normal menses’ (LMP) and the ‘clinical estimate of gestation’ (CE), have been available from birth certificate data since 1989. Reporting irregularities with the LMP-based measure are well-documented, and important questions remain regarding the derivation of the CE. Changes in perinatal medicine and in vital statistics reporting in recent years may have importantly altered gestational age data based on vital statistics. This study describes how gestational age measures are collected and edited in US national vital statistics, and examines changes in the reporting of these measures by race and Hispanic origin between 1990 and 2002. Data are drawn from the National Center for Health Statistics’ restricted use US birth files for 1990–2002. Bivariable statistics are used. The percentage of records with missing LMP dates declined markedly over the study period, overall, and for each racial/Hispanic origin group studied. A marked shift in the distribution of the CE of gestational age was also observed, suggesting changes both in the true distribution of age at birth, and in the derivation of this measure. Agreement between the LMP-based and CE estimates increased over the study period, especially among preterm births. However, a high proportion of LMP dates continue to be missing or invalid and the derivation of the CE is still uncertain. In sum, although the reporting of gestational age measures in vital statistics appears to have improved between 1990 and 2002, substantial concerns with both the LMP-based and the CE persist. Efforts to identify approaches to further improve upon the quality of these data are needed.

OBJECTIVES: This report presents 2005 data on U.S. births according to a wide variety of characteristics. Data are presented for maternal demographic characteristics including age, live-birth order, race, Hispanic origin, marital status, and educational attainment; maternal lifestyle and health characteristics (medical risk factors, weight gain, and tobacco use); medical care utilization by pregnant women (prenatal care, obstetric procedures, characteristics of labor and/or delivery, attendant at birth, and method of delivery); and infant characteristics (period of gestation, birthweight, Apgar score, congenital anomalies, and multiple births). Also presented are birth and fertility rates by age, live-birth order, race, Hispanic origin, and marital status. Selected data by mother's state of residence are shown, as well as data on month and day of birth, sex ratio, and age 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 4.1 million births that occurred in 2005 are presented. Denominators for population-based rates are postcensal estimates derived from the U.S. 2000 census.
RESULTS: In 2005, 4,138,349 births were registered in the United States, 1 percent more than in 2004. The 2005 crude birth rate was 14.0, unchanged from the previous year; the general fertility rate increased slightly to 66.7. Teenage childbearing continued to decline, dropping to the lowest levels recorded. Rates for women aged 20-29 were fairly stable, whereas childbearing among women 30 years of age and older increased. All measures of unmarried childbearing rose substantially in 2005. Smoking during pregnancy continued to decline. No improvement was seen in the timely initiation of prenatal care. The cesarean delivery rate climbed to more than 30 percent of all births, another all-time high. Preterm and low birthweight rates also continued to rise; the twin birth rate was unchanged and the rate of triplet and higher order multiple births declined for the 7th consecutive year.

US births increased 3% between 2005 and 2006 to 4,265,996, the largest number since 1961. The crude birth rate rose 1%, to 1.42 per 1000 population, and the general fertility rate increased 3%, to 68.5 per 1000 women 15 to 44 years. Births and birth rates increased among all race and Hispanic-origin groups. Teen childbearing rose 3% in 2006, to 41.9 per 1000 females aged 15 to 19 years, the first increase after 14 years of steady decline. Birth rates rose 2% to 4% for women aged 20 to 44; rates for the youngest (10-14 years) and oldest (45-49) women were unchanged. Childbearing by unmarried women increased steeply in 2006 and set new historic highs. The cesarean-delivery rate rose by 3% in 2006 to 31.1% of all births; this figure has been up 50% over the last decade. Preterm and low birth weight rates also increased for 2006 to 12.8% and 8.3%, respectively. The 2005 infant mortality rate was 6.89 infant deaths per 1000 live births, not statistically higher than the 2004 level. Non-Hispanic black newborns continued to be more than twice as likely as no-Hispanic white and Hispanic infants to die in the first year of life in 2004. For all gender and race groups combined, expectation of life at birth reached a record high of 77.9 years in 2005. Age-adjusted death rates in the United States continue to decline. The crude death rate for children aged 1 to 19 years decreased significantly between 2000 and 2005. Of the 10 leading causes of death for children in 2005, only the death rate for cerebrovascular disease was up slightly from 2000, whereas accident and chronic lower respiratory disease death rates decreased. A large proportion of childhood deaths, however, continue to occur as a result of preventable injuries.

Objectives—This report presents trends in cesarean rates for first births and repeat cesarean rates for low-risk women, in relation to the Healthy People 2010 (HP 2010) objectives. Data for the U.S. showing trends by maternal age and race and Hispanic origin are presented. Methods—Cesarean rates were computed based on the information reported on birth certificates. Results—With a decrease between 1990 and 1996 and an increase between 1996 and 2003, the trend in the cesarean rate for low-risk women having a first birth paralleled trends in the primary (regardless of parity) and total cesarean rates. During 1996–2003 the cesarean rate for low-risk women having a first birth has consistently been at least 13 percent lower than the rate for all women having a first birth. For 2003 the cesarean rate for all primiparous women was 27.1 percent; for low-risk women the rate was 23.6 percent. The trend in the repeat cesarean rate for low-risk women was similar to the trend in the repeat rate for all women, i.e., a decrease from 1990 to 1996 and an increase from 1996 to 2003. The repeat cesarean rate for low-risk women has consistently been slightly lower than the rate for all women. For 2003 the repeat rate for all women was 89.4; the rate for low-risk women was 88.7. These trends were found for low-risk women of all ages and racial or ethnic groups. Therefore, low-risk women giving birth for the first time who have a cesarean delivery are more likely to have a subsequent cesarean delivery. Keywords: cesarean c low risk c repeat cesarean c VBAC c primary cesarean c birth certificate

In 2003, the 4 million hospitalizations for women giving birth accounted for 11 percent of all stays in U.S. community hospitals. The average charge for these hospitalizations was $8,300, with aggregate annual charges (i.e., the national bill) totaling over $33 billion. Charges varied greatly depending on the mode of delivery (vaginal versus C-section) and the presence of complications. For example, charges for C-sections with complications averaged $15,500, which is 2.5 times the mean charge for uncomplicated vaginal births. The mean length of stay (LOS) for all deliveries was 2.6 days. The amount of time women remained hospitalized following delivery also varied greatly, ranging from 2.1 days for uncomplicated vaginal deliveries to 4.6 days for C-sections with complications.

This Statistical Brief presents data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) on the national inpatient hospital bill (aggregate community hospital charges) in 2005 and annual trends for 1997 through 2005. This report provides information on the top 20 most expensive conditions and the growth in the national bill for each of these conditions between 1997 and 2005. This report also describes the distribution of the nation's 2005 bill by primary payer and illustrates the conditions accounting for the largest percentage of each payer's hospital bills. The primary payers examined are Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, and the uninsured. Pregnancy and newborn care are #2 and #3 on the list.

Tables only for 2006 state-level data on: A) mothers under 20 years of age; B) Births to unmarried mothers; C) Low birth weight rates; D) Total cesarean birth rates; and E) Preterm birth rates