National Hospital Care Survey Demonstration Projects: Traumatic Brain Injury

July 27, 2016

A new report from NCHS examines traumatic brain injury (TBI) encounters in various hospital settings. While the National Hospital Care Survey (NHCS) data used were not nationally representative, the results presented are consistent with previous research studies.

Analyses were conducted to highlight the tremendous analytical capabilities of NHCS, capabilities that have not been available before in previous surveys. New data elements such as intensive care use and diagnostic and physical services received, and the ability to link individuals in NHCS across hospital settings are used in the analyses.

Findings:

  • Males have more TBI encounters than females across the inpatient, Emergency Department (ED), and Outpatient Department (OPD) settings and across all age groups.
  • Children under age 15 comprise most ED visits for TBI.
  • Adults aged 65 and over accounted for most TBI hospitalizations.
  • Falls were the most common cause of TBI encounters.

 

Leave a Comment » | Division of Health Care Statistics, injury | Permalink
Posted by briantsai

Increases in Medically Attended Nonfatal Injury Episodes Among Females in the United States

July 14, 2016

Analysis of mortality and emergency department (ED) data have historically shown higher injury rates among males than females. In 2014, the injury-related death rate was 85.5 per 100,000 population for males and 36.3 for females.

In 2013, 10,746 injury-related ED visits were made per 100,000 population for males and 8,957 for females. The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) collects information on medically attended nonfatal injury episodes, providing national estimates beyond deaths and ED visits.

NCHS has released a report that describes changes in injury episodes in the female population, comparing estimates in 2005–2008 and 2011–2014 by age group, race and ethnicity, cause of injury, and location of injury.

Findings:

  • From 2005–2008 to 2011–2014, the nonfatal injury rate increased for females but remained unchanged for males.
  • In 2005–2008, males had a higher nonfatal injury rate than females; however, in 2011–2014, the rates for males and females were similar.
  • From 2005–2008 to 2011–2014, the nonfatal injury rate increased significantly for women aged 45–64 and for non-Hispanic white females.
  • The increase in the nonfatal injury rate among females over time could not be attributed to a specific cause or place of injury occurrence.

Leave a Comment » | injury, National Health Interview Survey | Permalink
Posted by briantsai

America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2016

July 12, 2016

The teen birth rate dropped for another consecutive year, continuing a long-term decline in teen pregnancy, according to the most recent yearly report on the status of America’s children and youth.

According to the 2016 edition of America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, in 2014, the adolescent birth rate was 11 births per 1,000 girls ages 15 to 17 years, down from 12 per 1,000 in 2013. Racial and ethnic disparities in adolescent birth rates also have declined, although substantial differences persist.

The annual report is published by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, a working group of 23 federal agencies that collect, analyze and report data on conditions and trends related to child and family well-being. The report tracks 41 indicators of child well-being, using statistics from federal researchers and highlights these indicators by race and ethnicity.

This year’s report is the 18th in an ongoing series and presents key indicators of children’s well-being in seven domains: family and social environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education and health.

In the behavior domain, the percentages of 10th- and 12th-graders in all racial and ethnic groups who binge drink—have five or more alcoholic beverages in a row on a single occasion—were the lowest in 2015 since the survey began tracking this statistic in 1980. Among 12th-graders, Hispanic and white non-Hispanic students reported binge drinking at twice the rate of black non-Hispanic students.

In the education domain, overall math scores declined slightly for fourth and eighth graders. However, some progress has been made in narrowing the achievement gap or the differences in average scores for different racial and ethnic groups. For example, the difference in math scores for white and black fourth graders has narrowed from 32 points in 1990 to 24 points in 2015.

The full report is available on the Forum’s website, http://www.childstats.gov.

Leave a Comment » | children | Permalink
Posted by briantsai