Abstract
The vital statistics system in the United States has always recognized the importance of collecting information about public health. Today, the national vital statistics system in the US is a major cooperative effort between the states and federal agencies. The Vital Statistics Cooperative Program provides for collection of records of births, deaths, marriages, and other events on a national level. Moreover, increasing adoption of modern technology for record keeping and data exchange has resulted in faster and more accurate vital statistics reports. State data, supplemented by surveys administered by the National Center for Health Statistics within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, provide fundamental information for use in the arena of public policy and public health practice.
In this chapter, we will describe the history of vital statistics in the United States, and examine what data is collected and how collection methods have changed over time. In addition, we will examine the complex relationship between the collection of data at the local and state levels and the aggregation and analysis of the data by the National Center for Health Statistics. This will set the stage for a discussion of the components and uses of the present National Vital Statistics System, including an assessment of the challenges and solutions that the twenty first century presents.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Hetzel AM. History and organization of the vital statistics system. Hyattsville: National Center for Health Statistics; 1997.
Association for Vital Records and Health Statistics. A history of the Association for Vital Records and Health Statistics. 50th anniversary 1933–83. Washington, DC: Association for Vital Records and Health Statistics; 1983.
Tolson GC, Barnes JM, Gay GA, Kowaleski JL. The 1989 revision of the U.S. standard certificates and reports. Vital Health Stat 4. 1991;(28):1–34.
National Center for Health Statistics. Report of the panel to evaluate the U.S. standard certificates and reports. Hyattsville: National Center for Health Statistics; 2000.
National Center for Health Statistics. Model state vital statistics act and regulations: 1992 revision. Hyattsville: National Center for Health Statistics; 1994. (PHS) 94–1115.
National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems. Resolution 2000–5: Amendments to the Model State Vital Statistics Act. 2000. Available on request to: hq@naphsis.org.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Model State Vital Statistics Act and Model State Vital Statistics Regulations – 2011 Revision. Available at: http://www.naphsis.org/Documents/FinalMODELLAWSeptember72011.pdf. Last accessed 27 Mar 2013.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2011 Model Law Revision. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/model_law_revision.htm. Last accessed 27 Mar 2013.
World Health Organization. International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems: Tenth Revision. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1992. Available at: http://www.who.int/classifications/icd/en/. Last accessed 27 Mar 2013.
World Health Organization. The International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision is due by 2015. Available at: http://www.who.int/classifications/icd/revision/en/. Last accessed 27 Mar 2013.
National Center for Health Statistics: Eighth Revision International Classification of Diseases, Adapted for Use in the United States. P1-IS Pub. No. 1963. Public Health Service. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. 1967.
Anderson RN, Minino AM, Hoyert DL, Rosenberg HM. Comparability of cause of death between ICD-9 and ICD-10: preliminary estimates. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2001;49(2):1–32.
Rothwell CJ. Reengineering vital registration and statistics systems for the United States. Prev Chronic Dis [serial online] 2004. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2004/oct/04_0074.htm. Last accessed 27 Mar 2013.
Rothwell CJ, Sondik EJ, Guyer BJ. A delay in publication of the “Annual Summary of Vital Statistics” and the need for new vital registration and statistics systems for the United States. Pediatrics. 2004;114(6):1671–2. Available at: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/114/6/1671.long. Last accessed 27 Mar 2013.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer-Verlag London
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Rothwell, C.J., Freedman, M.A., Weed, J.A. (2014). The National Vital Statistics System. In: Magnuson, J., Fu, Jr., P. (eds) Public Health Informatics and Information Systems. Health Informatics. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4237-9_17
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4237-9_17
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-4236-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-4237-9
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)