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Linked Birth and Infant Death Data Set Public-Use Data Files

bullet graphicDescription of the data set
bullet graphicData file description
bullet graphicList of data file variables at a glance
bullet graphicData file technical characteristics
bullet graphicGeographic coverage
bullet graphicData availability
bullet graphicOrdering information
bullet graphicDocumentation contents
bullet graphicRelated reports
bullet graphicContact

Description of the data set
In 1983, NCHS established a unique research data set comprised of linked birth and death certificates for infants born in the United States who died before reaching one year of age.  In this data set, information from the death certificate is linked with information from the birth certificate for each infant. The purpose of this linkage is to use the many additional variables available from the birth certificate in infant mortality analysis.  Analysis of this information can provide insight into the major factors influencing infant mortality in the United States.

Data file description
The Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set-1998 Period Data contains numerator and denominator files for the U.S. These files are also available for Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam.  These and earlier data sets can be used to calculate infant mortality rates by selected infant and maternal characteristics.  The numerator file contains statistical data from linked birth and infant death records. The denominator file is the NCHS natality file in a compressed format. For the 1998 data set, 98.4 percent of all infant deaths in the U.S. are linked to their corresponding birth records. However, for a few infant death records, no matching birth certificate could be found.  An additional file of infant death records, called the "unlinked file," is also provided.

Beginning with 1989 data, the additional variables available from the 1989 Revision of the U.S. Standard Certificates of Birth and Death were added.

List of data file variables at a glance

Numerator file
Year of birth
Residence of mother:
indent graphicState
indent graphicCounty (250,000 persons or more)
indent graphicCity (250,000 persons or more)
Place of birth:
indent graphicState
indent graphicCounty (250,000 persons or more)
Abnormal conditions of the newborn1
Age of:
indent graphicMother (single years, ages 10-49)
indent graphicFather (single years, ages 10 and over)
Alcohol use1
Apgar score, 1 minute for 1983-91 and 5 minutes for 1983-91 and 1996-982
Attendant at birth
Birth weight (in grams)
Complications of labor/delivery1
Congenital anomalies1
Day of week of birth/death1
Education of mother (single years, 0-17) (father included 1983-91)2
Gestation period2 (single weeks, 17-47)
Hispanic origin of mother and father2
Interval since last live birth (1983-91)2
Live-birth order
Marital status3
Medical risk factors1
Method of delivery
Month of pregnancy prenatal care began
Month of year of birth/death1
Nativity of mother
Number of prenatal visits2
Place of delivery
Plurality
Race of:
indent graphicChild (nine categories 1983-91)
indent graphicMother (10 categories--plus expanded
indent graphicAsian American and Pacific Islander
indent graphiccategories for seven States starting in 1995)
indent graphicFather (10 categories)
Sex of child
Tobacco use1
Total birth order
Weight gain1
Year of death
Residence of decedent:
indent graphicState
indent graphicCounty (250,000 persons or more)
indent graphicCity (250,000 persons or more)
Year of death:
indent graphicState
indent graphicCounty (250,000 persons or more)
Age at death
Hospital and status of decedent
Whether autopsy performed
Place of accident
Cause of death:4
indent graphicUnderlying cause
indent graphicMultiple conditions

Denominator file
Year of birth
Residence of mother:
indent graphicState
indent graphicCounty (250,000 persons or more)
indent graphicCity (250,000 persons or more)
Place of birth:
indent graphicState
indent graphicCounty (250,000 persons or more)
Abnormal conditions of the newborn1
Age of:
indent graphicMother (single years, ages 10-49)
indent graphicFather (single years, ages 10 and over)
Alcohol use1
Apgar score, 1 minute for 1983-91 and 5 minutes for 1983-91 and 19952
Attendant at birth
Birth weight (in grams)
Complications of labor/delivery1
Congenital anomalies1
Day of week of birth/death1
Education of mother (single years, 0-17) (father included 1983-91)2
Gestation period1(single weeks, 17-47)
Hispanic origin of mother and father2
Interval since last live birth (1983-91)2
Live-birth order
Marital status3
Medical risk factors1
Method of delivery
Month of pregnancy prenatal care began
Month of year of birth /death1
Nativity of mother
Number of prenatal visits2
Place of delivery
Plurality
Race of:
indent graphicChild (9 categories 1983-91)
indent graphicMother (10 categories--plus expanded
indent graphicAsian American and Pacific Islander
indent graphiccategories for seven States in 1995 and
indent graphiceight States in 1996)
indent graphicFather (10 categories)
Sex of child
Tobacco use1
Total birth order
Weight gain1
_____________________________________________________
1 Item available for 1989-91 birth cohorts only.
2 Applicable only for those States having information on the  certificate.
3Data for States without the item have been inferred from other items on the certificate.
4 Causes of death were coded according to the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision.

Data file technical characteristics
The following list describes the specific characteristics of each file for each data year. The CD-ROM format comes with Statistical Export and Tabulation System (SETS) retrieval software.
 

Numerator file

Data
year

Number 
of records

1997 27,398
1996 27,809
1995 28,767
1991 35,520
1990 37,066
1989 38,605
1988 37,599
1987 37,349
1986 37,966
1985 39,170
1984 38,314
1983 39,704

Numerator file for Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and Guam

Data
year

Number
of records

1997 782
1996 713
1995 863

Unlinked file

Data
year

Number
of records

1997 599
1996 623
1995 750

Unlinked file for Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and Guam

Data
year

Number
of records

1997 4
1996 6
1995 11

Denominator file

Data
year

Number
of records

1997 3,884,329
1996 3,894,874
1995 3,903,012
1991 3,913,967
1990 4,045,881
1989 4,163,150
1988 4,115,494
1987 3,813,492
1986 3,760,997
1985 3,765,336
1984 3,364,090
1983 3,341,274

Denominator file for Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and Guam

Data
year

Number
of Records

1997 70,655
1996 69,519
1995 69,868

Geographic coverage
Place of birth and place of death are classified by State and county.  In residence classification of the birth, all births are allocated to the usual place of residence of the mother as reported on the birth certificate and are classified by State, county, and city.  In residence classification of the death, all deaths are allocated to the usual place of residence of the decedent as reported on the death certificate and are classified by State, county, and city.

Counties of 250,000 persons or more and cities of 250,000 persons or more are classified in the linked data set. Geographic classification for the linked data set is based on the 1980 census enumeration.

Data availability
Linked Birth and Infant Death Data are available for 1983-91 and 1995-97. Data from the 1995-97 linked files are combined with data from the fetal death file and are available on the Perinatal Mortality Data File on CD-ROM.  Public Use Data are available for individual years from 1983-91 and 1995-98 on CD-ROM. Data from the 1995-98 linked files are combined with data from the fetal death file and are available on the Perinatal Mortality Data File on CD-ROM.

Ordering information
Linked Birth and Infant Death CD-ROM can be purchased through the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) and/or the Government Printing Office (GPO). As prices vary, please contact NTIS or GPO for current pricing.

See also Perinatal Mortality Data File on CD-ROM for data years 1995-98.

Documentation contents
Documentation is available electronically on the CD-ROM, including content and technical information needed to access the data. Control total tables are also included.

bullet graphic1996 data file documentation

Related reports
"The NCHS Pilot Project to Link Birth and Infant Death Records: Stage 1" by Kate Prager, Glenn A. Flinchum, and David P. Johnson, was published in Public Health Reports 102:216 223, March-April 1987. Reports that relate to the data are available in Vital and Health Statistics, Series 20, and Supplements to the Monthly Vital Statistics Report.

Contact
Marian MacDorman, Ph.D.
Reproductive Statistics Branch
Division of Vital Statistics
National Center for Health Statistics
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
3311 Toledo Road, Room 7417
Hyattsville, Maryland 20782
(301) 458-4356

For additional information check out the following links:
bullet graphicLinked Birth and Infant Death Web Page
bullet graphicBirth data Web Page
bullet graphicMortality data Web Page
bullet graphicFetal Death Data Web Page

 

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This page last reviewed September 04, 2008

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Health Statistics
Hyattsville, MD
20782

1-800-232-4636