Abstract
Two new reports from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, provide the latest data on US birth statistics. One report covers key demographic and maternal and infant health indicators based on 2015 final birth data, as well as trends in general fertility rates, age-specific birth rates, cesarean delivery, and preterm birth rates since 2007. Data are from the national vital statistics birth files, which comprise records sent to state vital statistics offices and reported to NCHS. The second report examines trends in teenage births from 1991 through 2015. A new NCHS report presents the latest data on nonfatal injuries serious enough to be medically attended. Finally, NCHS provides a service for subscribers to receive new information on topics of interest.
Final 2015 Birth Statistics
According to a new report, “Births in the United States, 2015,” 1 3.978 million births occurred in the United States in 2015, down <1% from 3.988 million births in 2014. This decline followed an increase in the number of births (3 932 181) in 2013, the first increase since 2007, when the reported number of births was 4 316 233. The report examines past-year changes by race/ethnicity. From 2014 to 2015, the number of births among non-Hispanic white women declined 1%, from 2 149 302 to 2 130 279. The number of births among Hispanic women rose 1%, from 914 065 to 924 048. Births to non-Hispanic black women were essentially unchanged (588 891 in 2014 vs 589 047 in 2015).
The report found a similar decline for the US general fertility rate (ie, births per 1000 women aged 15-44) from 2007 to 2015. The 2015 rate was down 1% from 62.9 in 2014 to 62.5 in 2015. Birth rates dropped to a record low for women aged 20-24 (76.8 in 2015 vs 105.4 in 2007). For women aged 25-29, the 2015 birth rate of 104.3 was also a record low, down from 118.3 in 2007. Birth rates were up for women aged 30-44 in 2015. From 2007 to 2015, birth rates increased from 100.6 to 101.6 for women aged 30-34, from 42.6 to 51.8 for women aged 35-39, and from 9.6 to 11.0 for women aged 40-44.
The cesarean delivery rate declined to 32.0% of births in 2015, down from the peak of 32.9% in 2007. The preterm birth rate was stable from 2014 to 2015 at 9.6%. The preterm birth rate had declined from 10.4% in 2007, the most recent year for which comparable data were available. The early preterm birth rate (infants delivered before 34 completed weeks of gestation per 100 births) was essentially unchanged at 2.8% in 2015, down from 2.9% in 2007. The rate of late preterm newborns (infants delivered at 34-36 completed weeks of gestation per 100 births) increased from 6.8% in 2014 to 6.9% in 2015, after declining from 7.5% in 2007. Preterm birth rates increased slightly for infants born to non-Hispanic black women (from 13.2% in 2014 to 13.4% in 2015), after a 10% decline from 14.7% in 2007. The preterm birth rate also increased slightly for Hispanic women (from 9.0% in 2014 to 9.1% in 2015); the 2014 birth rate had dropped by 3% from the 2007 rate (9.4%). The preterm birth rate for non-Hispanic white women was stable at 8.9% during 2014 and 2015.
Teenage Birth Rates Decline to Historic Low
A new NCHS report on teenage births, “Continued Declines in Teen Births in the United States, 2015,” 2 shows an 8% decline in the teenage birth rate, from 24.2 births per 1000 females aged 15-19 in 2014 to 22.3 births per 1000 females aged 15-19 in 2015, a new low for the United States since 1991, when birth rates began to decline. The birth rate for teenagers has fallen almost continuously since 1991, when the rate was 61.8 births per 1000 females aged 15-19, and it has reached historic lows every year since 2009. The birth rates for teenagers aged 15-17 and 18-19 declined in 2015 to 9.9 and 40.7 births per 1000 females, respectively, which are record lows for both groups. The comparable 1991 rate was 38.6 for teenagers aged 15-17 and 94.0 for teenagers aged 18-19.
From 2014 to 2015, the birth rate for females aged 15-19 declined 10% for Asian American/Pacific Islander teens, from 7.7 to 6.9; 9% for non-Hispanic black teens, from 34.9 to 31.8; 8% for non-Hispanic white teens, from 17.3 to 16.0; 9% for Hispanic teens, from 38.0 to 34.9; and 6% for American Indian/Alaska Native teens, from 27.3 to 25.7. Despite declines among all racial/ethnic groups, significant differences remained in the teen birth rate in 2015.
Nonfatal Injuries Increase for Females
According to a new report, “Increases in Medically Attended Nonfatal Injury Episodes Among Females in the United States,” 3 the injury episode rate for females of all ages increased from 2005-2008 to 2011-2014, whereas the injury episode rate was stable for males of all ages. Based on data from the National Health Interview Survey—a large-scale survey with a sample of the nation’s civilian noninstitutionalized population—the report shows that the rate for nonfatal medically attended injury episodes rose from 105.4 to 122.0 per 1000 population for females of all ages and from 121.3 to 126.5 per 1000 population for males of all ages from 2005-2008 to 2011-2014. A medically attended injury is one for which a trained health care professional is contacted for advice or treatment. This advice or treatment may be given by telephone, at the scene of the injury, in an informal setting, in a formal office setting, in an emergency department, or at a hospital. A trained health care professional is a medical doctor, nurse, emergency medical technician, physical or occupational therapist, homoeopath, dentist, or specialist. The National Health Interview Survey tracks injuries as injury episodes, which are events in which a person was (1) nonfatally injured from an external cause (eg, a fall or a motor vehicle traffic accident) or (2) nonfatally poisoned from ingestion, inhalation, or contact with a harmful substance, including overdose or wrongful use of a drug or medication.
Among all age groups, women aged ≥65 had the highest nonfatal injury rate during 2005-2008 (151.6 episodes per 1000 population) and 2011-2014 (163.7 episodes per 1000 population). The rate of injuries for men and women aged 45-64 increased substantially from 2005-2008 to 2011-2014. For women aged 45-64, the rate increased 32%, from 103.4 episodes per 1000 population during 2005-2008 to 136.4 episodes per 1000 population during 2011-2014. During 2005-2008, the age-adjusted nonfatal injury rate was highest among non-Hispanic white females (123.6 episodes per 1000 population) and lowest among Hispanic females (62.2 episodes per 1000 population) and non-Hispanic black females (78.1 episodes per 1000 population). During 2011-2014, the nonfatal injury rate was highest among non-Hispanic white females (144.8 episodes per 1000 population), but the rate among non-Hispanic black females (98.3 episodes per 1000 population) was substantially higher than the rate among Hispanic females (70.1 episodes per 1000 population).
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