National
Center for Health Statistics
1995 Birth Statistics Released
For Release Tuesday,
June 10, 1997
Contact: Sandra Smith or Mary Jones (301) 458-4800
MVSR Vol. 45, No.
11(S). Report of Final Natality Statistics, 1995. 80 pp. (PHS) 97-1120 View/download
PDF826 KB
The latest final data
on birth patterns in the United States show significant improvements in
several critical areas--a record high for prenatal care, a continued
decline in cesarean deliveries, and another drop in the number of women
who smoke during pregnancy. In contrast the 1995 report documents no
improvement in low birthweight, a major cause of infant mortality. Low
birthweight remains at the highest level in two decades. The new report,
from the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, is a comprehensive analysis of the patterns of
birth and fertility in the United States and the characteristics and
factors that affect maternal and infant health. Among the major findings:
Prenatal
care - The percent of mothers who began prenatal care within the first
trimester improved to 81.3 percent for 1995, the highest level ever
recorded. After a decade of no improvement through the 1980's, there has
been steady progress from 1989 when only 75 percent of women received
timely prenatal care.
Cesarean deliveries -
The rate of cesarean deliveries declined for the sixth consecutive year,
to 20.8 percent in 1995 compared with 22.8 percent in 1989, a drop of 9
percent. At the same time vaginal births after previous cesarean
deliveries increased 46 percent during this same time period. New
guidelines have encouraged women and their physicians to reduce repeat
cesareans.
Cigarette smoking
during pregnancy - Tobacco use during pregnancy has declined steadily
since 1989. In 1995, 14 percent of pregnant women smoked. Maternal smoking
has a strong adverse effect on infant birthweight. Women who smoke are
almost twice as likely to have a low birthweight infant as nonsmokers.
Low birthweight - The
low birthweight rate was 7.3 percent for 1995, the same level reported for
1994--and the highest reported since 1976. Low birthweight increased among
white mothers from 6.1 to 6.2 percent. Although the rate of low
birthweight is still more than twice as high among black women (13.1
percent), the rate of low birthweight for black infants has been dropping
since 1992.
Preterm births - Along
with low birthweight, there was no change for 1995 in the rate of preterm
births (less than 37 weeks completed gestation). In 1995, 11.0 percent of
births were preterm; this proportion has risen 17 percent since 1981.
Following a pattern similar to low birthweight, preterm births have
increased among white mothers but declined among black mothers to the
lowest level since the mid-1980's. However, black women are still almost
twice as likely as white women to have a preterm birth.
Birth and fertility
rates - Births in the United States declined in 1995 for the fifth
consecutive year, to 3,899,589, 1 percent lower than 1994 and 6 percent
lower than in 1990. The 1995 birth rate (14.8 births per 1,000 population)
was down 3 percent from 1994 and 11 percent from 1990. Similarly, the
fertility rate dropped 2 percent to 65.6 births per 1,000 women aged 15-44
years.
Teenage births - The
birth rate for teenagers declined 4 percent from 1994 to 1995. The decline
in birth rates was noted for young teenagers 15-17 years and was slightly
more pronounced than for those teenagers 18-19 years. Although declines
were observed for all racial and Hispanic origin groups, the largest
decline--8 percent overall--was reported for black teenagers. Teenage
birth rates are highest for Mexican American, Puerto Rican, and black
women.
Peak childbearing years
- For women in the United States, the decade of the twenties is still the
peak childbearing years. However, birth rates for women aged 20-29 years
continued to decline in 1995 and were the lowest since 1987.
Births to older women -
Birth rates for women in their thirties are still increasing but the pace
has slowed. Rates for women in their thirties were highest for Asian or
Pacific Islander and non-Hispanic white women. The birth rate for women
aged 40-44 years rose 20 percent between 1990 and 1995, and increased 74
percent during 1981-95. The rising birth rate along with the increasing
number of women in this age group has meant that there were more babies
born in 1995 to mothers in their forties than in any year since 1966.
Multiple births - The
number of triplet and other higher order multiple births continues to
increase, up 8 percent from 1994 to 1995. The number of twin births
declined slightly, but the overall multiple birth ratio rose to 26.1 per
1,000 births. The increase in multiple births is associated with older
mothers and with the use of fertility enhancing drugs and procedures.
Birth rate for
unmarried women - The number and rate of births to unmarried women
declined in 1995. Rates declined for unmarried women in all age groups
under 40.
The "Report of
Final Natality Statistics, 1995," by Stephanie J. Ventura, Joyce A.
Martin, Sally C. Curtin, and T. J. Mathews, Monthly Vital Statistics
Report, Vol. 45, No. 11, Supplement, is based on 100 percent of the
births registered in all States and the District of Columbia and is
reported to NCHS through the National Vital Statistics Cooperative
Program.