LibraryPirate

772 CHAPTER 14 VITAL STATISTICS
compute the 2000 age-adjusted death rate for North Carolina. Use the 2000 U.S. population as the
standard population.
Age (Years) Population a Deaths b U.S. Population c
0–4 539,509 1,178 19,175,798
5–14 1,113,920 224 41,077,577
15–24 1,117,439 954 39,183,891
25–34 1,213,415 1,384 39,891,724
35–44 1,287,120 2,823 45,148,527
45–54 1,085,150 5,271 37,677,952
55–64 723,712 8,035 24,274,684
65 and over 969,048 51,863 34,991,753
Total 8,049,313 71,732 281,421,906
Sources: a Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000, U.S. Census Bureau,
DP-1 for North Carolina (A-5).
b Selected Vital Statistics for 2000 and 1996–2000, North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics, (A-6).
c Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000, U.S. Census Bureau DP-1 (A-2).
14.2.4 The following data are for North Carolina for year 2000. Use these data to compute rates and/or
ratios of interest.
Total White Minority a
Live births 120,247 86,341 33,906
Low birth weight 10,572 6,150 4,422
C-section 28,198 19,895 8,303
Perinatal deaths 1,683 913 770
Fetal deaths 937 516 421
Neonatal (under 28 days) 746 397 349
Postneonatal (28 days–1 year) 288 148 140
Infant deaths (under 1 year) 1,034 545 489
Death: males (excluding fetals) 71,732 55,241 16,491
Death: females (excluding fetals) 35,227 26,823 8,404
Cause of death: heart disease 19,649 15,419 4230
Cause of death: cancer 15,747 12,375 3372
Source: Selected Vital Statistics for 2000 and 1996–2000 and Leading Causes
of Death by Age Group, North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics (A-6).
a The minority category includes all nonwhite races.
14.3 MEASURES OF FERTILITY
The term fertility as used by American demographers refers to the actual bearing of children
as opposed to the capacity to bear children, for which phenomenon the term fecundity
is used. Knowledge of the “rate” of childbearing in a community is important to the
health worker in planning services and facilities for mothers, infants, and children. The
following are the six basic measures of fertility.