United States yearbook - 1982 (1)

100 Health and Nutrition
Health resources.—Hospital statistics based on data from the American Hospital Association's
yearly survey are published annually In Hospital Statistics, and cover all hospitals accepted for registration
by the Association. To be accepted for registration, a hospital must meet certain requirements
relating to number of beds, construction, equipment, medical and nursing staff, patient care,
clinical records, surgical and obstetrical facilities, diagnostic and treatment facilities, laboratory services,
etc. Data obtained from NCHS cover all U.S. hospitals which meet certain criteria for inclusion.
They are published in Vital and Health S tatistics reports, series 14. In these reports, a hospital
is defined as a facility with at least six inpatient beds that is licensed as a hospital by a State, or Is
operated as a hospital by a Federal or State agency.
Statistics on the demographic characteristics of persons employed in the health occupations are
based on data compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and reported in Em ployment and
Earnings (monthly). Data based on sample surveys of health personnel and utilization of health
facilities providing long-term care, ambulatory care, hospital care, and family planning services are
presented in NCHS series 13 and series 14, Health Resources U tilization D ata and M anpow er and
Facilities Data. Statistics on patient visits to health care providers, as reported in health interviews,
appear in NCHS series 10, Health interview Survey.
The Health Care Financing Administration's Health Care Financing Program S ta tistics and Notes
series present data for hospitals and nursing homes as well as extended care facilities and home
health agencies. These data are based on records of the Federal Health Insurance for the Aged
and Disabled program (Medicare) and differ from those of other sources because they are limited
to facilities meeting Federal eligibility standards for participation in Medicare.
Data on patients in hospitals for the mentally ill and on mental health facilities are collected by
the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and appear in the M ental H ealth S ta tistics reports,
series A and B, and the Mental Health Statistical Note series.
Institutional population data based on the decennial censuses of the population include information
on persons in hospitals, in homes for the aged and dependent, and in other group quarters
(see tables 78 and 79).
Disability and illness.— General health statistics, including morbidity, disability, injuries, preventive
care, and findings from physiological and psychological testing, are collected by NCHS in its
National Health Interview Survey and its National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys and
appear in Vital and H ealth Statistics, series 10 and 11, respectively. Morbidity data for members of
the Armed Services are prepared and published by the Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air
Force. The Department of Labor compiles statistics on industrial injuries (see section 13). Annual
Incidence data on notifiable diseases are compiled by the Public Health Service (PHS) at its Centers
for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, and are published as a supplement to its M orbidity and
M ortality Weekly Report. The list of diseases Is revised annually and includes those which, by
mutual agreement of the States and PHS, are communicable diseases of national Importance.
Nutrition.—Statistics on annual per capita consumption of food and its nutrient value are estimated
by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and published in N ational F ood Review. Historical
data can be found in Food Consumption, Prices, and Expenditures, issued annually. Data on the
Federally Funded Food Distribution Program for Needy Families and Children, the National School
Lunch Program, the Special Milk Program, and the Food Stamp Program are published annually in
Agricultural Statistics.
Statistical reliability.—For discussion of statistical collection, estimation, and sampling procedures
and measures of statistical reliability applicable to data from NCHS and the Health Care Financing
Administration, see Appendix III.
Historical statistics.—Tabular headnotes provide cross-references, where applicable, to H istorical
Statistics o f the United States, Colonial Times to 1970. See Appendix I.