Drug-poisoning Deaths Involving Heroin: United States, 2000–2013

March 4, 2015

Drug poisoning (overdose) is the number one cause of injury-related death in the United States, with 43,982 deaths occurring in 2013. While much attention has been given to deaths involving opioid analgesics, in recent years there has been a steady increase in the number of drug-poisoning deaths involving heroin. A recent study using data from 28 states reported that the death rate for heroin overdose doubled from 2010 through 2012.

Using data from the National Vital Statistics System, a new NCHS report provides a description of trends and demographics for heroin-related drug-poisoning deaths in the United States from 2000 through 2013.

Key Findings from the Report:

  • From 2000 through 2013, the age-adjusted rate for drug-poisoning deaths involving heroin nearly quadrupled from 0.7 deaths per 100,000 in 2000 to 2.7 deaths per 100,000 in 2013. Most of the increase occurred after 2010.
  • The number of drug-poisoning deaths involving heroin was nearly four times higher for men (6,525 deaths) than women (1,732 deaths) in 2013.
  • In 2000, non-Hispanic black persons aged 45–64 had the highest rate for drug-poisoning deaths involving heroin (2.0 per 100,000). In 2013, non-Hispanic white persons aged 18–44 had the highest rate (7.0 per 100,000).
  • From 2000 through 2013, the age-adjusted rate for drug-poisoning deaths involving heroin increased for all regions of the country, with the greatest increase seen in the Midwest.

 

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Posted by briantsai

Recent Declines in Nonmarital Childbearing in the United States

August 13, 2014

There were sharp increases in nonmarital childbearing from 2002 to 2007, following the steady increases beginning in the 1980s. The upward trends have mainly reversed since 2007–2008. In addition, the nature of nonmarital childbearing may be changing as cohabiting unions have increased over the last few decades in the United States along with pregnancies within those unions. Births to unmarried women are at greater risk for adverse outcomes, including low birth weight, preterm birth, and infant mortality. Social and financial supports for unmarried mothers may be limited.

A new NCHS report describes recent trends in nonmarital births from the National Vital Statistics System and in cohabitation for unmarried mothers using data from the National Survey of Family Growth.

Key Findings from the Report:

  • Nonmarital births and birth rates have declined 7% and 14%, respectively, since peaking in the late 2000s.
  • Births to unmarried women totaled 1,605,643 in 2013. About 4 in 10 U.S. births were to unmarried women in each year from 2007 through 2013.
  • Nonmarital birth rates fell in all age groups under 35 since 2007; rates increased for women aged 35 and over.
  • Birth rates were down more for unmarried black and Hispanic women than for unmarried non-Hispanic white women.
  • Nonmarital births are increasingly likely to occur within cohabiting unions—rising from 41% of recent births in 2002 to 58% in 2006–2010.

 

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Posted by briantsai

Teen Birth Rates Declining

May 23, 2013

A new report  from NCHS shows that teen birth rates fell steeply in the United States from 2007 through 2011, resuming a decline that began in 1991 but was briefly interrupted in 2006 and 2007. The overall rate declined 25% from 41.5 per 1,000 teenagers aged 15–19 in 2007 to 31.3 in 2011—a record low. The number of births to teenagers aged 15–19 also fell from 2007 to 2011, by 26% to 329,797 in 2011.

Births to teenagers are at elevated risk of low birthweight, preterm birth, and of dying in infancy compared with infants born to women aged 20 and over, and they are associated with significant public costs, estimated at $10.9 billion annually.  Recent trends by state and race and Hispanic origin are illustrated using the most current available data from the National Vital Statistics System.

For anyone interested in find getting a state-by-state ranking of teen birth rates and other health statistics please click here.

Key Findings from the Report:

  • Teen birth rates fell at least 15% for all but two states during 2007–2011—the most recent period of sustained decline; rates fell 30% or more in seven states.
  • Declines in rates were steepest for Hispanic teenagers, averaging 34% for the United States, followed by declines of 24% for non-Hispanic black teenagers and 20% for non-Hispanic white teenagers.
  • The long-term difference between birth rates for non-Hispanic black and Hispanic teenagers has essentially disappeared, and by 2011 their rates were similar.
  • Rates for Hispanic teenagers fell 40% or more in 22 states and the District of Columbia (DC); rates dropped at least 30% in 37 states and DC.

Percent change in birth rates for all teenagers aged 15–19, by state: United States, 2007 and 2011

Leave a Comment » | Births, National Vital Statistics System, Teen Births | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by briantsai

Will anemia kill you?

February 24, 2010

Well, that depends of course – however, anemia can be deadly. In 2006, the latest data available, 3,996 deaths were attributed to anemia (that’s 1.3 per 100,000 population). In comparison, heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, accounted for 631,636 deaths in 2006, a rate of 200.2 per 100,000 population. However, the risk of death from anemia appears to increase with age. The data for 2006 illustrates this:

Under 1 year – 11 deaths
1 to 4 years – 26 deaths
5 to 14 years – 34 deaths
15 to 24 years – 93 deaths
25 to 34 years – 141 deaths
35 to 44 years – 192 deaths
45 to 54 years – 232 deaths
55 to 64 years – 304 deaths
65 to 74 years – 401 deaths
75 to 84 years – 975 deaths
85 years and over – 1,587 deaths

Anemia deaths by age in the United States, 2006

For more data on anemia, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/anemia.htm.

Leave a Comment » | anemia, Deaths, iron deficiency, Vital Statistics System | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Megan Cox