Health, United States, 2008

Frequently Asked Questions

 

What is Health, United States?

Health, United States, 2008 is the 32nd annual report on the health status of the Nation and is submitted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to the President and Congress. It contains detailed tables and charts on health status and its determinants, health care resources, health care utilization, and health insurance and expenditures.

 

What is the special emphasis of Health, United States?

Health, United States focuses primarily on trends over time in health statistics. Comparable data must be available for at least two points in time and available at the national level. In addition to national level data, data are commonly shown by age group, sex, race and Hispanic origin, geography, poverty status, and education level whenever possible.

 

Why should I look to Health, United States for the answers to my health questions?

Due to the encyclopedic nature of Health, United States, it is a valuable resource for a wide array of health statistics. In addition to presenting key findings from the major data systems of the National Center for Health Statistics, Health, United States presents many unique data analyses not published elsewhere. Health, United States also contains relevant health data from other Federal agencies, and private and global sources.

 

What are the major components of Health, United States?

Health, United States, 2008 has two major components: A Chartbook that illustrates with text and figures major trends in health and 151 detailed trend tables. The two major components are supplemented by an executive summary, highlights, and an index. The appendixes contain detailed source information, as well as explanations of methods and definitions of terms.

 

What topics are covered in the chartbook?

Health, United States, 2008 chartbook has 41 graphs and text organized around the following health-related topics: population characteristics, health insurance and expenditures, risk factors, morbidity and limitation of activity, health care utilization and mortality. Each year the chartbook contains a special feature; the 2008 special feature is on the health of young adults.

 

What topics are covered in the trend tables?

Health, United States, 2008 has 151 detailed trend tables including data on such topics as population numbers by race and Hispanic origin, fertility, natality, mortality, disease prevalence, risk factors, use of ambulatory and inpatient care, health care personnel and facilities, national and state health expenditures, and health insurance coverage.

 

What information is on the Health, United States web site that is not in the printed book?

The website includes several additions to the printed book, including:

• Additional years of data for selected tables in the Excel spreadsheet files
• Updated statistics and estimates for selected tables
• Groupings of tables by cross-cutting subject areas
• Chartbook figures in PowerPoint for downloading and using in your own presentations
• Excel spreadsheets with standard errors for downloading
• Related links to other key data services

 

Can I get Health, United States on CD-ROM?

The CD contains the printed book and other information found on the web site, including standard errors and PowerPoint charts. Just email us or call us toll free at 1-800-232-4636.