The data in the NCHS’s National Vital Statistics Report represents roughly 99.5 percent of all U.S. births in 2015. Comparisons are made with final data from 2014 as well as earlier years.
Highlighted below are six findings from the new report:
1. There was a decline of less than 1 percent in the overall number of U.S. births between 2014 and 2015, from 3.98 million to 3.97 million.
2. The decrease in the overall number of births in 2015 followed an increase between 2013 and 2014 — the first increase since 2007.
3. The preliminary birth rate for teenagers aged 15 to 19 decreased 8 percent between 2014 and 2015, from 24.2 births per 1,000 to 22.3 births per 1,000 — a historic low for the nation.
4. The birth rate for teenagers in 2015 represents a 46 percent decrease since 2007 and a 64 percent decrease from its peak in 1991.
5. The overall cesarean delivery rate declined in 2015 for the third consecutive year to 32 percent — down from 32.2 percent in 2014 and from its peak of 32.9 percent in 2009.
6. The rate of low-risk cesarean delivery also decreased in 2015 (25.7 percent) from 2014 (26 percent).
More articles on perinatal care:
Infection prevention in OB-GYN: 8 takeaways on physician practices
Hospitals fail to meet maternity care performance targets, Leapfrog report says
Out-of-hospital birth rates continue to increase in US
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