Statistics from the 1988-1990 North Carolina Birth Defects Registry are presented. Statistical tables give the reader perspectives on the prevalence of birth defects in the state as well as orientation to using and interpreting birth defects data.
This report examines how well North Carolina is meeting 30 national health objectives that are grouped under the following headings: preventative health services, health protection, and health promotion.
Medicaid is a major source of insurance for people living in North Carolina.. Kenneth Kaufman gives suggestions on how Medicare could be made better for recipients and health care professionals alike.
North Carolina's Division of Blind Services maintains one of the only population-based registers for the diabetes-related visually-impaired in the U.S. Sullivan discusses the register's usefulness and its flaws.
From 1988-1992, 78% of all AIDS victims in NC were adults aged 25-44. Highest mortality rates were in the eastern part of the state, and AIDS was the leading cause of death for black men and the second leading cause for black women in the age group.
Some areas of adolescent (ages 10-19) health, such as infant mortality and motor vehicle mortality, have improved in the state; however, the rates of adolescent pregnancy, unmarried childbearing, sexually transmitted disease, and suicide continue to rise.
Sixteen paper mills operate in twelve North Carolina counties. Concern by citizens over the possible link between mill emissions and increased cancer risk led the Central Cancer Registry to develop a study. The results did not support such a link.
Three NC counties, Forsyth, Durham, and Wake, were determined to be exceeding allowable carbon monoxide levels; therefore, these and surrounding counties were required to sell only oxygenated fuel. Vogt evaluates how this mandate affects CO levels.
Pregnant women who participated in the special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) were compared to pregnant women not in the program. The results were favorable for the WIC participants.
The Community Diagnosis process in North Carolina identifies health problems locally and communicates these problems to the state. It is hoped this approach will assist in allocating funds on a priority basis to meet documented health needs.
Type of delivery was first listed on state birth certificates in 1988. At that time the cesarean rate for the state was 25.1 percent; by 1993, it had declined to 22.4 percent.
In 1991, the state set objectives to improve citizens' health by the year 2000. To date only one objective, reducing teenage pregnancy for ages 15-17, has been met, while others have not yet been achieved.
Lee Sullivan conducts a state-wide survey on instances of diabetes related mortality and morbidity. The number of hospitalizations is found to vary based on age, sex, and place of residence.
North Carolina resident death certificate data for the period 1980-1989 were used to draw conclusions regarding the roles that age, race, and sex play in diabetes-related mortality; and regarding recent temporal trends.
This study examines the prevalence of maternal diabetes in North Carolina, as estimated from vital records and hospital discharge reports, and describes some of the major demographic risk factors in the pregnant population.