Vital Statistics of The United States: Births, Life Expectancy, Deaths, and Selected Health Data brings together a comprehensive collection of birth, mortality, and health data into a single volume. It provides a wealth of information compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics and other government agencies.

Vital Statistics contains over 200 tables and is divided into 3 parts:

I. Births, which includes topics such as:
*new data from the introduction of the new birth certificate
*number of births and birth rates by age, race, and Hispanic origin
*pre-term births and low birthweight
*number of births to unmarried women

II. Mortality, which includes topics such as:
*number of death and death rates by race, sex, and Hispanic origin
*cause of deaths
*life expectancy
*infant, neonatal, postneonatal mortality rates

III. Health, which includes topics such as:
*determinants and measures of health
*statistics on cancer, AIDS, diabetes, hypertension, and use of addictive substances
*health insurance
*health expenditures
*medical personnel
*hospital care

Other features include:
*concise notes that explain the sources of the data, define the terms within each part, and provide references for further guidance
*highlights of pertinent data in each section
*numerous figures that call attention to noteworthy trends in the data