CONTRIBUTORS'
SECTION
F OR THE FIRSTTIME in 3 years it is gratify ing to note that the infant mortality in the United States has not increased. The es timated rate for 1959, 26.4, was about 2% lower than the 1958 rate of 26.9 and is at the same level as the 1957 rate. Low point thus far for the United States was in 1956, when the rate was 26.0.
There was relatively little change in the other important rates—births, deaths and marriages. The natural increase in the popu lation, that is births (including an estimate for those unregistered) minus deaths, was 2,632,000, giving a rate of increase of 14.9 per 1,000 population, essentially the same
as the 1958 rate of 15.0.
Infant mortality and other features of the basic vital statistics of the United States are presented each year in estimated form in the Monthly Vital StatLstics Report of the National Office of Vital Statistics, Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. A special issue is devoted to a review of the provisional data of the previous year. For 1959, this is pub lished in Volume 8, No. 13, April 25, 1960, and is, as usual, based on summaries of monthly reports of the numbers of birth and death certificates and marriage licenses, which have been received in the registra tion offices throughout the country. These provisional rates in past years have differed
very little from final figures, which are
based on analysis of the actual copies of certificates sent by the registration offices to the National Office of Vital Statistics for events occurring in the reporting year.
BIRTHS
The number of births registered in 1959 in the United States, 4,249,000, represents
Births
p., 1,000 populatloa
FIG. 1
an increase over 1958 and is close to the
record of 4,254,000 in 1957. The crude birth
rate was 24.1 per 1,000 population, repre senting another decline from the 24.3 rate for 1958 and the 25.0 rate for 1957. Seasonal variation (Fig. 1) was about as usual.
Admission of Alaska to the States resulted in very little change in the figures, even though the birth rate for Alaska, 37.1, is the highest for any state. On the other hand, it is estimated that about 1% of ail births in the country are not registered, so that the total number of births in 1959 was probably about 4,292,000.
In the past 10 years, 1950 through 1959, more than 40 million babies were born, al
most one-third more than the previous
decade. There are, of course, obvious im plications regarding pediatric care and schooling for this steadily increasing popu lation.
MARRIAGES
There was a small increase in the number of marriages in 1959 over 1958, but the es
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27
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25
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ADDRESS: 1501 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W., Washington 6, D.C.
PEDIATRICS, December 1960 1018
PUBLIC HEALTH
ANNUAL
SUMMARY OF VITAL STATISTICS—1959
Myron E. Wegman, M.D.
1019 PUBLIC HEALTH
Deaths
p., IpOO population
FIG. 3
INFANT MORTALITY
Seasonal variation in infant mortality (Fig. 4) follows the general trend of total deaths, with the highest rate in the winter
months when respiratory disease is more
prevalent.
In general, the decline in infant mortality, already noted, was seen throughout the various regions of the country ( Table I). There is still, however, considerable varia tion in the level of this rate. For example, one state, Nebraska, which has had con sistently low infant mortality, reduced its rate in 1959 to below 20, meaning that less than 1 baby in 50 born alive in that state dies before the end of the first year. Forty five years ago the United States average was
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26
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24
22
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7
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InFantdeaths
p., 1,000 lvi birthsMarriages
oLilil III ITI 11
,I FM A N J J A S ON 0
Fic. 2
timated marriage rate, 8.5 per 1,000 popu lation, is still one of the lowest since 1932. A
total of 1,494,000 marriages took place in
1959 and, as usual, June was the peak month (Fig. 2).
Considerable variation in the marriage rate exists among the several states, follow ing to a large extent differences in the legal requirements for marraige. For example,
Mississippi, which recently changed its mar
riage laws, experienced a 45% reduction in
marriages between 1958 and 1959, but it is
unlikely that there was much change in marriages among residents of the state.
DEATHS
The crude death rate in 1959 was esti mated at 9.4 per 1,000 population, repre
senting a total number of deaths estimated
at 1,660,000. So many factors influence the total death rate, in particular the age distri
bution and character of the population, that
this rate is not a very good indicator of the
general health status of the country. On the other hand, the crude death rate does reflect
AreaInfant
Deaths (Under 1 Year)NumberRatePercent
Change 1958 to 1959195919581958
(final)19591958NumberRate
1020 VITAL STATISTICS
TABLE I
INFANT DEATHS AND RATES: EACH REPORTING AREA, 1957 AND 1958
(By place of occurrence. Exciudesfetal deaths. infant mortality rates are deaths under 1 year per 1,000 live births in each area.)
NEw ENGLAND —¿ —¿ 5,507 —¿ —¿ —¿ —¿
Maine 5@7 5@8 6O@ @3.O @.4 —¿O.@ + @.7
NewHampshire @79 3@6 3@5 @1.7 @4.4 —¿14.4 —¿11.1
Vermont
@ @16 @O6 @.O @3.4 —¿6.5 —¿6.0
Massachusetts —¿ —¿ @,666
Rhodelsland 446 407 404 @3.1 @1.6 + 9.6 + 6.9
Connecticut 1,@88 1,@98 1,30@ @.5 @S.6 —¿4.6 —¿4.7
MIDDLEATLANTIC 18,134 18,@88 18,365 24.7 @4.7 —¿0.6 0
NewYork 8,983 8,874 8,887 @4.7 @4.5 + 1.@ + 0.8
NewJersey @,973 S,01@ 3,009 @3.7
@ —¿1.3 —¿
Pennsylvania 6,178 6,35@ 6,469 @5.0 @5.4 —¿@.7 —¿1.6
EAST NORTH CENTRAL
@ @1,341 @1,679 @4.8 @4.5 —¿0.8 —¿0.8
Ohio 5,780 5,746 S,9@6 @4.7 24.5 —¿0.3 + 0.8
Indiana @,575
@ @,769 @3.1 @4.4 —¿s.3 —¿5.8
Illinois 5,948 5,763 5,749 25.@ @5.2 + 3.@ 0 Michigan 4,810 4,943 4,965 @4.4 @4.5 —¿@.7 —¿0.4
Wisconsin
@ @,169
@ @.4 @.6 + 1.8 —¿0.9
WESTNORTHCENTRAL 8,437 8,81@ 8,861 @.5 @4.0 —¿4.3 —¿6.@
Minnesota 1,880 1,917 1,975 Q1.5 @.6 —¿1.9 —¿4.9
Iowa 1,888 1,405 1,4@2
@ 2@.8 —¿1.6 —¿4.9
Missouri 2,468 @,706
@ @4.1 @6.4 —¿8.8 —¿8.7
NorthDakota 415 4@9 434 24.4 @5.8 —¿3.3 —¿5.4
SouthDakota 4@4 470 43@ @8.3 @6.6 —¿9.8 —¿1@.4
Nebraska 668 71@ 818 19.6 @.0 —¿6.9 —¿10.9
Kansas 1,@04 1,178 1,168 @8.7 @8.5 + @.6 + 0.9
SOUTHATLANTIC @0,055 19,576 19,645 81.6 31.1 + @.4 + 1.6
Delaware @80 315 3@3 24.0 @6.8 —¿11.1 —¿10.5 Maryland @,087 @,079 @,074 @9.5 30.9 —¿@.0 —¿4.5 DistrictofColumbia 969 1,008 1,019 29.3 @9.4 —¿3.4 —¿0.3
Virginia @,921 @,878 @,883 31.8 31.4 + 1.5 + 1.3
WestVirginia 1,177 1,1@4 1,139 @7.4
@ + 4.7 + 8.7
NorthCarolina 3,738 3,69@ 3,631 33.5 33.3 + 1.@ + 0.6 SouthCarolina @,131 @,048
@ 35.6 33.9 + 4.1 + 5.0
(;ocrgia 3,@61 3,016 3,14@ 31.7 @9.9 + 8.1 + 6.0
Florida 3,541 3,4@1 3,405 31.6 31.7 + 3.5 —¿0.3
EASTSOUTHCENTRAL 9,719 10,@0 10,@1@
@ 34.1 —¿4.9 —¿5.6
Kentucky
@ @,176 @,198 @7.4 @9.4 —¿5.@ —¿6.8
Tennessee @,690 @,667 @,690 33.@ 81.6 + 0.9 + 1.9 Alabama @,630 Q,91@ @,889 3@.1 35.5 —¿9.7 —¿9.6
AreaInfant
Deal/u (Under 1 Year)NumberRatePercent Change 1958 to 195919591958(final)19591958NumberRateWESTSOUTHCENTRAL Arkansas Louisiana Oklahoma Texas MOUNTAIN Montana Idaho Wyoming Colorado NewMexico Arizona Utah Nevada PACIFIC Alaska Washington Oregon California Hawaii UNITEDSTATES* 11,906 1,037 3,03@ 1,@16 6,6@1 5,1@8 4@1 370 @19 1,186 986 1,191 513 24@ 11,358 E266 1,579 919 8,594 410 11@,6101@,@93 1,047 3,113 1,377 6,756 5,366 435 374 @8 1,3@ 1,063 1,1@9 605 215 10,937 (@77) 1,668 849 8,4@0 389 113,76613,074 1,051 3,114 1,377 7,53@ 5,316 438 383 1,30@ 1,057 1,108 589 @17 11,130 (@73) 1,7@1 843 8,566 386 114,448@7.3 3@.9 @4.0 26.3 @8.0 @1.7 @7.3 @7.0 33.4 34.1 @0.2 34.5 @4.5 37 . 5
@4.4 @5.3 @4.2 @4.1 @26.428.6 34.6 @7.6 @9.9 @5.5 @.5 @8.0 30.6 37.9 33.8 @3.1 31.9 @4.5 (38 . 5)
@5.9 @3.6 @4.3 @6.9— 3.1 —¿ 1.0 —¿ @.6 —¿11.7 —¿ @.0 —¿ 4.4 —¿ 3.@ —¿ 1.1 —¿ 1.8 +10.3 —¿ 7.@ + 5.5 —¿15.@ +1@.6 + 3.8 (— 4 . 0) —¿5.3 + 8.@ + @.i + 5.4 —¿ 1.0— 4.5 0 —¿ 4.9 —¿13.0 —¿ 3.3 —¿ 6.4 —¿ 5.1 —¿ 3.6 —¿ —¿11.8 —¿11.9 + 0.9 —¿1@.6 + 8.@ 0 (— @ .6) —¿10.0 + 7.@ —¿0.4 + 3.9 —¿ 1.9
PUBLIC HEALTH 1021
TABLE I—Continued
* Numerical total also estimated because of absence of figures for one state.
1 infant death in 10 born alive. By contrast, in 1959, three states, Mississippi, Alaska, and South Carolina, had an infant mortality of 35 per 1,000 live births. Mortality rates
between 30 and 35 were reported for 10
states.
There is obviously good reason for satis
faction with the progress which has been
1960;26;1018
Pediatrics
Myron E. Wegman
1959
−−
PUBLIC HEALTH: ANNUAL SUMMARY OF VITAL STATISTICS
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Pediatrics
Myron E. Wegman
1959
−−
PUBLIC HEALTH: ANNUAL SUMMARY OF VITAL STATISTICS
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