This report presents 2012 data on U.S. births according to a wide variety of characteristics. Data are presented for maternal age, live-birth order, race and Hispanic origin, marital status, attendant at birth, method of delivery, period of gestation, birthweight, and plurality. Birth and fertility rates are presented by age, live-birth order, race and Hispanic origin, and marital status. Selected data by mother's state of residence and birth rates by age and race of father also are shown. Trends in fertility patterns and maternal and infant characteristics are described and interpreted.Descriptive tabulations of data reported on the birth certificates of the 3.95 million births that occurred in 2012 are presented.A total of 3,952,841 births were registered in the United States in 2012. The general fertility rate declined to 63.0 per 1,000 women aged 15-44. The teen birth rate fell 6%, to 29.4 per 1,000 women. Birth rates declined for women in their twenties and increased for women aged 30-44. The total fertility rate (estimated number of births over a woman's lifetime) declined 1% to 1,880.5 per 1,000 women. The rate of births to unmarried women declined; the percentage of births to unmarried women was essentially stable at 40.7%, but the number of births to unmarried women increased slightly. The cesarean delivery rate was unchanged at 32.8%. The preterm birth rate declined for the sixth straight year to 11.55%; the low birthweight rate declined slightly to 7.99%. The twin birth rate was stable at 33.1 per 1,000 births; the rate of triplet and higher-order multiple births dropped 9% to 124.4 per 100,000 total births.
This report presents trends from 1940 through 2013 in national birth rates for teenagers, with particular focus on the period since 1991. The percent changes in rates for 1991-2012 and for 2007-2012 are presented for the United States and for states. Preliminary data for 2013 are shown where available.Tabular and graphical descriptions of the trends in teen birth rates for the United States and each state, by age group, race, and Hispanic origin, are presented and discussed. Data are shown for the U.S. territories.Birth rates for U.S. teenagers have generally fallen in the United States since peaking in 1957. The rate fell 57% between 1991 and 2013. The 2013 preliminary rate (26.6 per 1,000 aged 15-19) is less than one-third of the historically highest rate (96.3 in 1957). During 1991-2012, rates fell for all race and Hispanic ethnicity groups, with the largest declines measured for non-Hispanic black teenagers. In the more recent period, 2007-2012, the declines have been steepest for Hispanic teenagers. Birth rates declined significantly for teenagers in all states during 1991-2012; during 2007-2012, rates fell for all but two states. The drop in teen birth rates translates into an estimated 4 million fewer births to teenagers from 1992 through 2012. The declines in teen birth rates reflect a number of behavioral changes, including decreased sexual activity, increases in the use of contraception at first sex and at most recent sex, and the adoption and increased use of hormonal contraception, injectables, and intrauterine devices.
Although still relatively rare, out-of-hospital births have accounted for a growing share of U.S. births since 2004. In 2012, 1.36% of U.S. births were born outside a hospital, up from 1.26% in 2011 and 0.87% in 2004. The 2012 level is the highest level since 1975. Most of the total increase in out-of-hospital births from 2004–2012 was a result of the increase among non-Hispanic white women, and by 2012, 1 in 49 births to non-Hispanic white women (2.05%) occurred outside a hospital. In 2012, six states had 3%–6% of their births occur outside a hospital. For an additional five states, between 2% and 3% of their births were out-of-hospital births. Variations in the percentages of out-of-hospital births by state may be influenced by differences in state laws pertaining to midwifery practice or out-of-hospital births, as well as by the availability of a nearby birthing center. The number of U.S. birthing centers increased from 170 in 2004 to 195 in 2010 and to 248 in January 2013; 13 states still did not have a birthing center in the most recent period. Compared with hospital births, home and birthing center births tended to have lower risk profiles, with fewer births to teen mothers and fewer preterm, low birthweight, and multiple births. From 2004 through 2012, there was a decline in the risk profile of out-of-hospital births, with fewer births in 2012 than in 2004 to teen and older mothers and fewer preterm and low birthweight births. The lower risk profile of out-of-hospital than hospital births suggests that appropriate selection of low-risk women as candidates for out-of-hospital birth is occurring. Although not representative of all U.S. births, 88% of home births in a 36-state reporting area (comprising 71% of U.S. births) were planned in 2012. Unplanned home births are more likely than planned home births to be born preterm and at low birthweight.
Data from the National Vital Statistics System The first birth rate for women aged 35-39 increased from 1970 to 2006, decreased from 2006 to 2010, and increased again in both 2011 and 2012. The first birth rate for women aged 40-44 was steady in the 1970s and started increasing in the 1980s. The rate more than doubled from 1990 to 2012. For women aged 35-39 and 40-44 all race and Hispanic origin groups had increasing first birth rates from 1990 to 2012. Since 2000, 46 states and DC had an increase in the first birth rate for women aged 35-39. For women aged 40-44, rates increased in 31 states and DC. The average age of women at first birth has risen over the past 4 decades (1-3). This increase is in part a reflection of the shift in first births to women 35 years and older. Delayed childbearing affects the size, composition, and future growth of the population in the United States (2). Increased health risks to older mothers, especially those 40 years and older, and their infants are well documented (4-7), first time older mothers are generally better educated and more likely to have more resources including higher incomes than those at the youngest reproductive ages (8). This report explores trends in first births to women aged 35-39 and 40-44 years from 1970 to 2012, and by race and Hispanic origin from 1990 to 2012 (the most recent year for which comparable data are available). Trends in first births for older women by state are examined for the recent period, 2000 to 2012.
Biologic plausibility of risk factors is required to strengthen risk reduction strategies. The triple risk model for SIDS describes the interplay of a vulnerable infant, during a critical developmental period, interacting with external stressors (2). Identified external stressors are the supine sleep position and smoke exposure (3). Airway occlusion has been identified as a contributory mechanism in SIDS and may be relevant in deaths occurring in seating devices (4), which are increasingly used in routine infant care for up to six hours a day (3). Accidental death from strangulation, falls and suffocation in seating devices is well described (5). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Language: en
This report presents 2013 data on U.S. births according to a wide variety of characteristics. Data are presented for maternal age, live-birth order, race and Hispanic origin, marital status, attendant at birth, method of delivery, period of gestation, birthweight, and plurality. Birth and fertility rates are presented by age, live-birth order, race and Hispanic origin, and marital status. Selected data by mother's state of residence and birth rates by age and race of father also are shown. Trends in fertility patterns and maternal and infant characteristics are described and interpreted.Descriptive tabulations of data reported on the birth certificates of the 3.93 million U.S. births that occurred in 2013 are presented.A total of 3,932,181 births were registered in the United States in 2013, down less than 1% from 2012. The general fertility rate declined to 62.5 per 1,000 women aged 15-44. The teen birth rate fell 10%, to 26.5 per 1,000 women aged 15-19. Birth rates declined for women in their 20s and increased for most age groups of women aged 30 and over. The total fertility rate (estimated number of births over a woman's lifetime) declined 1% to 1,857.5 per 1,000 women. Measures of unmarried childbearing were down in 2013 from 2012. The cesarean delivery rate declined to 32.7%. The preterm birth rate declined for the seventh straight year to 11.39%, but the low birthweight rate was essentially unchanged at 8.02%. The twin birth rate rose 2% to 33.7 per 1,000 births; the triplet and higher-order multiple birth rate dropped 4% to 119.5 per 100,000 total births.
The infant mortality rate is often used as a measure of a country’s health because similar factors influence population health and infant mortality (1). Although infant mortality has declined in the United States, disparities still exist across geographic areas and demographic groups (2–4). Urbanization level, based on the number and concentration of people in a county, can impact health outcomes (3–9). Previous research indicates that infant mortality rates vary by urbanization level and also by maternal and infant characteristics (3–9). This report describes differences in infant mortality among rural, small and medium urban, and large urban counties in the United States by infant’s age at death, mother’s age, and race and Hispanic origin in 2014.
Objectives-This report presents 2017 total fertility rates by state of residence and race and Hispanic origin of mother for the United States. Methods-Data are from birth certificates of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Total fertility rates, the expected number of lifetime births per 1,000 women given current birth rates by age, are shown by state for all births, and for non-Hispanic single-race white, non-Hispanic single-race black, and Hispanic women for 2017. Results-Total fertility rates varied by state for each race and Hispanic-origin group. In 2017, South Dakota (2,227.5) had the highest total fertility rate of the 50 states and the District of Columbia; the District of Columbia had the lowest (1,421.0). For non-Hispanic white women, the highest total fertility rate was in Utah (2,099.5) and the lowest in the District of Columbia (1,012.0). Among non-Hispanic black women, the highest total fertility rate was in Maine (4,003.5) and the lowest in Wyoming (1,146.0) along with California (1,503.5), Connecticut (1,575.5), Montana (1,641.0), New Mexico (1,651.0), New York (1,574.5), Rhode Island (1,594.0), and West Virginia (1,579.5). For Hispanic women, the highest total fertility rate was in Alabama (3,085.0) and the lowest in Vermont (1,200.5) and Maine (1,281.5).
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