April 15, 2008

2006 Idaho Vital Statistics Report Is Out

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s Idaho Vital Statistics 2006 report is out, offering a wealth of information about the major life events happening in the state.

For example, each day in 2006, Idaho’s population of 1.5 million residents experienced approximately 66 live births, 29 deaths, 41 marriages and 20 divorces. More highlights from this year’s report:

• The number of births to unmarried Idaho women increased 11 percent from 5,273 in 2005 to a record high of 5,866 in 2006, accounting for 24.3 percent of all births to Idaho residents. Nationally, 37 percent of births were to unmarried women.
• At the same time, the number of marriages occurring in Idaho decreased slightly from 14,933 in 2005 to 14,855 in 2006, resulting in the lowest marriage rate recorded for Idaho in the last 50 years.
• Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death for Idahoans, followed by cancer. Together, the two account for more than 44 percent of deaths in the state in 2006. In addition, accidents (the fourth leading cause of death) resulted in 661 deaths and suicide (the ninth leading cause) claimed 218 lives in 2006.

The report is compiled by the Department’s Bureau of Vital Record and Health Statistics based on births, deaths, marriages, divorces, stillbirths and abortions that happen in Idaho and to Idaho residents. Each year, an average 60,000 records of these life events are added to the more than 2.2 million kept by the bureau.

To make the data from these records usable for the public, staff analyzes the data and compiles the annual report which includes basic population data and tables and summaries that provide a sample of how the data can be used.

“The annual report is a great resource and a great beginning place for all kinds of researchers,” says Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics Research Analyst Supervisor Pam Harder. “Our job is to meet the needs of our users. The report is just a starting point of what we can provide.”

The report also breaks down information by health district and county. For example, the rate of births to Idaho residents was 16.5 per 1,000 in 2006. Around the state, those rates ranged from a low of 11.1 in Health District 2 in Northern Idaho to a high of 21.4 in Health District 7 in Eastern Idaho.

The 2006 report is now available online at Health and Welfare, under “Health -- Statistics.” It is one of the reports compiled from the bureau’s data systems to provide detailed, relevant information for assessment, surveillance and evaluation.

More than 1,000 copies of the Vital Statistics annual report are distributed to a wide range of organizations and individuals including the Governor’s Office, public health districts, hospitals, universities, funeral homes, coroners, the media, and organizations such as the March of Dimes and the Idaho Perinatal Project. For more information on this report or other vital statistics, please contact the Bureau of Health Policy and Vital Statistics at (208) 334-6571.