"1999 Vital"

Tables

Population
Birth
Death
Marriage
Divorce
County

Other Information

Other on-line HSC publications can be found at: PUBLICATIONS

The Health Statistics Center is located at:

Room 165
350 Capitol Street
Charleston, WV 25301-3701

West Virginia

 Vital Statistics - 1999

METHODOLOGY
RATES &RATIOS
DEFINITIONS
ICDA10 CODING

Data used to prepare this report are taken from birth and death certificates, fetal death reports, marriage applications, and divorce reports occurring in calendar year 1999 and filed in the Office of the West Virginia Registrar of Vital Statistics prior to June 1, 2000. Vital events occurring to West Virginia residents in other states and recorded in the office of the registrar by June 1 are also included in totals by residence.

Place of Residence vs. Place of Occurrence

Data on vital events can be reported in two ways: by county of residence or by county of occurrence. For example, Lincoln County reported 120 deaths as occurring within the confines of the county. However resident deaths for the county for 1999 totaled 237. With the exception of Table 25, the mortality data presented in this report are based on county of residence, as county resident populations are used to calculate rates.

With the exception of Table 6, birth data are similarly reported by county of residence.

Statistical Variation

All statistics contain variations that are the result of chance. This characteristic is of particular importance in classifications of events with small numbers, where small variations are proportionately large in relation to base figures. For example, small changes in the number of deaths or births in small population areas or in the number of deaths from uncommon causes could result in large changes in the respective rates. For this reason, rates for counties with small populations or other small bases should be used with caution.

Geographic Classification

The county has been used as the basic unit of tabulation throughout this report. Data have also been supplied for public health management districts and for the total state. In some instances, data have been supplied for individual cities.

Cause of Death Classification

The cause of death is coded from information contained in the medical certification section of the death certificate. This portion of the certificate is completed by the attending physician. In the case of unattended death, the medical examiner is responsible for investigation and certification. Effective in 1999, the National Center for Health Statistics and the World Health Organization adopted the tenth revision to the International Classification of Diseases. See Appendix B, "Groupings of ICD-10 Codes," for an explanation of ICD-10 revised and a listing of the selected causes of death.

International Classification of Diseases (ICD)

The primary cause of death was coded in accordance with the Tenth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases Adapted for Use in the United States, 1999 (ICD). The deaths with codes A00 through T98 and Z00-Z99 were coded using the "nature of injury" causes, while those with codes V01 through Y98 were coded using the "external cause" of death. The external codes are used to indicate a death due to an external rather than an internal cause. Thus, a death from a gunshot wound would be coded using an external code, while a death due to cancer would not have an external code.

In several tables individual causes of death have been grouped into important selected causes of death. The ICD codes for the different groupings can be found in Appendix B.

Population

The rates given in this publication were calculated using the 1999 population estimates from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.

Forms

The following is a list of the certificates and forms used in obtaining the data used in this publication. A sample copy of each can be found in Appendix A.

Certificate of Live Birth
Physician's/Medical Examiner's Certificate of Death
Report of Fetal Death
Application for Marriage License
Monthly Report of Divorces and Annulments of Marriages Granted

Suggestions and comments on alternate methods of data presentation are welcome. Forward any suggestions to the following address:

Health Statistics Center
Office of Epidemiology and Health Promotion
350 Capitol Street, Room 165
Charleston, WV 25301
Telephone: (304) 558-9100
FAX: (304) 558-1787
E-Mail:dhhrvitalreg@wv.gov

RATES AND RATIOS

The impact of chance variation must be considered in evaluating categories with small frequencies. For example, a small change in the number of infant deaths in a county can disproportionately affect the infant mortality rate for that county. Rates for cities and counties therefore require special consideration. Regional and state rates, with larger frequencies, provide more accurate data overall.

Rates used in this report are calculated with the 1999 population estimates from the US Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.

Birth Rate (Crude) = (Number of live births / Population) X 1,000

Death Rate (Crude) = (Number of deaths / Population) X 1,000

Cause of Death Rate = (Number of deaths from a stated cause / Population) X 100,000

Infant Death Rate = (Number of infant deaths / Number of live births) X 1,000

Neonatal Death Rate = (Number of neonatal deaths / Number of live births) X 1,000

Fetal Death Ratio = (Number of fetal deaths / Number of live births) X 1,000

Maternal Death Rate = (Number of maternal deaths / Number of live births) X 100,000

DEFINITIONS

LIVE BIRTH - A live birth is the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a result of conception, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy, which, after such separation, breathes or shows any other evidence of life, such as beating of the heart, pulsation of umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles.

BIRTHWEIGHT - The weight of the fetus or infant at the time of delivery.

LOW BIRTHWEIGHT - A weight at birth of under 2,500 grams or 5 lbs., 8 oz.

CAUSE OF DEATH - The underlying cause of death, or that condition giving rise to the chain of events leading to death.

FETAL DEATH (STILLBIRTH) - Death prior to the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of conception, having passed through at least the 20th week of gestation.

INFANT DEATH - Death occurring to an individual of less than one year of age.

NEONATAL DEATH - The death of a live-born infant that occurs within the first 27 days of life.

POSTNEONATAL DEATH - The death of a live-born infant that occurs after the 27th day of life but before one year of age.

MATERNAL DEATH - Deaths due to delivery or a complication of pregnancy, childbirth, or the puerperium as defined by the International Classification of Diseases.

OCCURRENCE DATA - Vital statistics compiled on the basis of where the vital event actually occurred.

RESIDENCE DATA - Vital statistics compiled on the basis of the usual place of residence of the person(s) to whom the vital event occurred. For births and fetal deaths, residence is defined as the mother's usual place of residence.

APPENDIX B

Cover Photo and description - 40K