Births: Preliminary Data for 1999
By Sally C. Curtin, M.A. and Joyce A. Martin, M.P.H., Division of Vital Statistics

From the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Health Statistics
National Vital Statistics System

August 8, 2000

Abstract

Objectives-This report presents preliminary data for 1999 on births in the United States. U.S. data on marital status, prenatal care, cesarean delivery, and low birth weight are also presented.

Methods-Data in this report are based on more than a 97-percent sample of births for 1999. The records are weighted to independent control counts of births received in State vital statistics offices in 1999. Comparisons are made with 1998 final data.

Results-The crude birth rate in 1999 was 14.5 per 1,000 population, a slight decline from 1998 (14.6), returning to the level observed in 1997. However, the fertility rate, which is limited to women aged 15-44 years, was 65.8 in 1999, a slight increase over the rate for 1998 (65.6). The birth rate for teenagers continued to decline for 1998-1999, dropping 3 percent to 49.6 births per 1,000 females aged 15-19 years. The 1999 rate for teenagers is 20 percent lower than the recent highpoint for 1991. The rate for young teenagers 15-17 years fell 6 percent, and the rate for teenagers 18-19 years declined 2 percent. Since 1991, rates have fallen 26 percent for teenagers 15-17 years, and 15 percent for teenagers 18-19 years. Birth rates for women aged 20-24 years declined slightly between 1998 and 1999 whereas the rate for women aged 25-29 years rose 2 percent. Birth rates for women in their thirties and forties continued their long increase. Rates for women in their thirties increased 2 to 3 percent and were the highest in three decades. The birth rate for women aged 40-44 years was the highest level reported since 1970. The birth rate for unmarried women in 1999 was 43.0 per 1,000, 1 percent lower than in 1998 and 6 percent lower than the peak level reported for 1994 (46.9) However, the number of births to unmarried women was up about 1 percent due to the continued increase in the number of unmarried women of childbearing age. The rate of prenatal care utilization continued to improve. The total cesarean rate increased 4 percent between 1998 and 1999 and continued a three-year rise. The low birth weight rate remained unchanged at 7.6 percent.

Introduction

This report presents preliminary data on births based on a substantial proportion of vital records for births occurring in 1999. Previous reports in the preliminary series have included data for both births and deaths. This report includes data on births only: preliminary 1999 mortality data will be published separately. The preliminary report series, which is published annually by NCHS, includes detailed tabulations from the preliminary fatality file. This report is the eighth in the series and shows preliminary birth data for 1999. Trends shown in the preliminary reports for 1995-98 births for most measures were confirmed by the final statistics for each year (1-4).