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Vital Statistics: Summary of a Workshop (2009)

Chapter: Committee on National Statistics

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Suggested Citation:"Committee on National Statistics." National Research Council. 2009. Vital Statistics: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12714.
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Page 129
Suggested Citation:"Committee on National Statistics." National Research Council. 2009. Vital Statistics: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12714.
×
Page 130

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COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL STATISTICS The Committee on National Statistics was established in 1972 at the Na- tional Academies to improve the statistical methods and information on which public policy decisions are based. The committee carries out studies, workshops, and other activities to foster better measures and fuller under- standing of the economy, the environment, public health, crime, education, immigration, poverty, welfare, and other public policy issues. It also evalu- ates ongoing statistical programs and tracks the statistical policy and coordi- nating activities of the federal government, serving a unique role at the in- tersection of statistics and public policy. The committee’s work is supported by a consortium of federal agencies through a National Science Foundation grant.

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Vital statistics, the records of birth and death, are a critical national information resource for understanding public health. Over the past few decades, the specific program that gathers the data has evolved into a complex cooperative program between the federal and state governments for social measurement. The Vital Statistics Cooperative Program (VSCP) is currently maintained by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).

The U.S. vital statistics system relies on the original information reported by myriad individuals, channeled through varying state and local information systems, and coordinated and processed by a federal statistical agency that has experienced relatively flat funding for many years. The challenges facing the vital statistics system and the continuing importance of the resulting data make it an important topic for examination.

A workshop, held by the National Academies and summarized in this volume, considered the importance of adequate vital statistics. In particular, the workshop assessed both current and emerging uses of the data, considered the methodological and organizational features of compiling vital data, and identified possible visions for the vital statistics program.

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