Public Health Insights
20 reports tagged public health.
Twins, Triplets, and Maternal Age (2025)
About one in thirty-three U.S. births is a multiple, the odds climb with the mother's age, and three in four twins are delivered by cesarean.
Smoking During Pregnancy (2025)
Fewer than two in a hundred mothers now smoke during pregnancy, but the rate is many times higher among those who did not finish school.
When Prenatal Care Begins (2025)
Three in four U.S. mothers start prenatal care in the first trimester, but a small share get none, and both track closely with education.
Births to Unmarried Mothers (2025)
About two in five U.S. births are to unmarried mothers, but the rate ranges from the overwhelming majority of teen births to a small minority among the most educated.
Who Pays for America's Births (2025)
Medicaid pays for roughly two in five U.S. births, just behind private insurance, and for the majority of births to younger mothers.
America's Mothers Are Getting Older (2025)
More than one in five U.S. births is now to a mother 35 or older, while teen births have fallen to a historic low.
Preterm Birth in America (2025)
About one in eight U.S. babies is born early. The risk is highest for the youngest and oldest mothers, and for twins and triplets.
How Much American Babies Weigh (2025)
The average newborn is about 7.2 pounds, but twins, triplets, and smoking push a large share into low birth weight.
Who Gets a Cesarean (2025)
Nearly a third of U.S. births are cesareans, and the rate rises steeply with the mother's age and with twins and triplets.
Why So Few Babies Are Born on Weekends (2025)
Births cluster on weekdays and thin out on weekends, not for any natural reason, but because inductions and cesareans are scheduled on business days.
How Men and Women Die Differently (2024)
Men die years younger than women and far more often by suicide, homicide, accident, and overdose. The external-cause gap, quantified.
When America Orders an Autopsy (2024)
Only a small share of deaths are autopsied overall, but nearly every homicide is and almost no natural death is. A map of official suspicion.
The Marriage Mortality Gap (2024)
Never-married adults die years younger than married ones and far more often by external causes. An association, not a prescription.
The Deaths That Defy Explanation (2024)
Even in a near-complete record of every death, thousands have an unknown cause or an undetermined manner. They skew young, male, and heavily autopsied.
The Hidden Toll: Underlying vs Contributing Causes of Death (2024)
Diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity are the official cause of a fraction of the deaths they actually contribute to. The burden standard rankings miss.
Where Americans Die (2024)
More Americans now die at home than in a hospital, and the mix flips by cause, from hospice for cancer to nursing homes for dementia.
The Cremation Majority (2024)
Cremation is now the American default, and it skews younger. The burial-versus-cremation split, straight from death records.
The Causes That Take People Youngest (2024)
Homicide and overdose take Americans in their 30s and 40s, and the diseases of old age in the mid 80s. A ranking of how old each cause of death finds you.
When Americans Die: The Seasonality of Death (2024)
Winter is the deadliest season, driven by respiratory illness, while some causes like drowning invert the calendar and peak in summer.
The Deadliest Day of the Week (2024)
Overall deaths barely move day to day, but homicides spike on weekends and suicides spike on Mondays. Two opposite weekly rhythms.