Cesarean delivery – more popular than ever before

March 24, 2010

A report released yesterday from the National Center for Health Statistics showed that the cesarean rate rose by 53% from 1996 to 2007, reaching 32%, the highest rate ever reported in the United States. The 1.4 million cesarean births in 2007 represented about one-third of all births in the United States.

Although clear clinical indications often exist for a cesarean delivery, the short- and long-term benefits and risks for both mother and infant have been the subject of intense debate for over 25 years. Despite this, the rate continues to rise for women in all racial and ethnic groups, as well as for women of every age, as shown below.

Rates of cesarean delivery typically rise with increasing maternal age. As in 1996 and 2000, the rate for mothers aged 40–54 years in 2007 was more than twice the rate for mothers under age 20 (48% and 23%, respectively).For more from this recent release, visit http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db35.pdf.

Leave a Comment » | Births, cesarean, Data Briefs, Preterm Births, race/ethnicity, State data, Vital Statistics System | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Megan Cox

Who will be drinking on St. Patty’s Day?

March 17, 2010

Who will have whiskey in the jar on one of the most popular drinking days of the year? Well, on average,  men are more likely than women to be current drinkers (68% compared with 55%). Men are also more likely to be moderate (22%) or heavy drinkers (6%) than women (7% and 4%, respectively). Youth also contributes to heavier drinking:

Other indicators:

  • White men and women are more likely to be current drinkers than other races, and non-Hispanic adults are more likely than Hispanic adults to be drinkers.
  • Current drinkers increase with education from 44% for adults with less than a high school diploma to 74% for adults with a graduate degree.
  • The prevalence of current drinking increases dramatically with family income.

For more, visit the new report on adult health behaviors at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_10/sr10_245.pdf.

Leave a Comment » | Alcohol, health behaviors, National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Megan Cox

Out-of-hospital births increase

March 17, 2010

A recent report released by NCHS showed an increase in the number of home and out-of-hospital births. In 2006, there were 38,568 out-of-hospital births in the United States, including 24,970 home births and 10,781 births occurring in freestanding birthing centers. The report also found that there was a decline between 1990 and 2004 in the number of out-of-hospital births and then a 3% increase from 2004 to 2005. Similarly, there was also a decline in home births between 1990 and 2004 and then an increase of 5% in 2005. However the number of home births remained steady in 2006.

The report also compared trends in the number of home births among different racial and ethnic groups. Results found that non-Hispanic white women were more likely to have a home birth than women of any other race and ethnicity. Overall, 81% of home births were to non-Hispanic white women, compared with 54% of hospital births.

             For more, visit “Trends and Characteristics of Home and Other Out-of-Hospital Births in the United States, 1990–2006”

Leave a Comment » | Births, Home Births, Vital Statistics System | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Setareh Kamali

New marriage and cohabitation data available

March 3, 2010

The latest in-depth data on marriage and cohabition (2002) is available here. This report features the probability that a first marriage will remain intact by sex, race, ethnicity, education, and family structure.

Marriage and Cohabitation Quick Look

Leave a Comment » | divorce rate, Marriage and Divorce, marriage rate, National Survey of Family Growth | Permalink
Posted by Megan Cox

Adults’ daily protein intake much more than recommended

March 3, 2010

March is National Nutrition month, making it a great time to look at where America stands in its nutrition and diet.  One important nutrient is protein, which is essential to the human body because it is part of every cell, issue, and organ, allowing them to grow and repair. Proteins can be found in a variety of foods that we eat on a regular basis and the table below displays the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended daily protein intake.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; “Nutrition for Everyone”-Protein

However, according to the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), both men and women ages 20 and over were taking in much more than the recommended amount of protein. The recommended daily amount of protein is 46 grams for women and 56 grams for men. The NHANES results showed that men were taking in 101.9 grams and women were taking in 70.1 grams. Protein intake contributes to calorie intake: therefore, if you eat more protein than is needed, your overall calorie intake could be greater and potentially lead to weight gain.

For more, visit USDA’s “What We Eat in America.”

3 Comments | NHANES, nutrition, protein | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Setareh Kamali