The Vital Statistics Query System has been developed to provide an interactive Internet interface to obtain tabular summaries and statistical reports from California’s birth and death vital statistics databases. The selection process is broken down into the following levels:
 

Screen 1:    Introduction and Selection of Statistical Methodology   Screen 2:    Geographic Selection   Screen 3:     Database and Primary Criteria Selection   Screen 4:     Selection of Criteria to Tailor the Query to a Specific Result

Data Definitions:               Birth Data              Death Data Selection Criteria:              Birth Selection Criteria              Death Selection Criteria Statistical Formulas:              Birth Statistical Formulas              Death Statistical Formulas

Return to the Vital Statistics Query System

SCREEN 1:  Selection of Year of Event and Statistical Methodology

Following are the formulas with short descriptions regarding the statistics you may use within this application.
 
 

Statistical Term	Definition	Formula
Count	Total number of events based on the criteria chosen	Percentages of the total are provided for comparison
Vital Statistics Rate               Birth	The count divided by the population of females based on those same criteria. These rates are only available for Age of Mother, Gender of Infant, and Race/Ethnicity of Mother.	live births  based on criteria  female population for same criteria	x 1,000
Vital Statistics Rate               Death	The count divided by the population based on those same criteria. These rates are only available for age, gender, and race/ethnicity of the decedent based on the selected cause of death.	deaths  based on criteria   population for same criteria	x 100,000
Age-Adjusted Death Rate	Age-adjusted death rates are used to compare relative mortality risk across groups and over time. These rates show expected mortality if the age distribution of populations were the same. Age-adjusted rates are index numbers and cannot be compared to crude or other types of  rates.	Click here to view an example calculation of an age-adjusted rate. Direct method and 1940 U.S. Standard Million population are used to calculate these rates.
Infant Death Rate	The number of infant deaths (age under 1) for the criteria selected divided by the total number of births based on those same criteria.	infant deaths  based on criteria  number of births	x 1,000

Age-adjusted rates calculated in Center for Health Statistics reports follow the procedure used in setting the Year 2000 national objectives. The standard population used is the 1940 U.S. Standard Million. There are 11 age groups used in the direct method of age-adjustment as shown in the following example:

Deaths Due To All Causes, 1994, for Alameda County
Age  Groups	1994 Deaths (A)	1994 Population  (B)	Rates Per 100,000  (C)	1940 U.S. Standard Proportions  (D)	Weighted Rate Factors (E)
Total	9,852.7	1,361,634	723.6
<1	129.0	22,787	566.1	0.015343	8.68586
1-4	27.0	92,603	29.2	0.064718	1.88696
5-14	36.7	185,932	19.7	0.170355	3.35948
15-24	164.7	172,490	95.5	0.181677	17.34369
25-34	373.3	237,096	157.5	0.162066	25.51904
35-44	567.3	241,870	234.6	0.139237	32.65960
45-54	725.3	165,701	437.7	0.117811	51.57014
55-64	1,010.7	98,272	1,028.4	0.080294	82.57740
65-74	1,994.7	82,763	2,410.1	0.048426	116.71125
75-84	2,582.0	47,056	5,487.1	0.017303	94.94293
85+	2,242.0	15,064	14,883.2	0.002770	41.22636
				Age-Adjusted  Rate	476.48
Step 1:	Array the number of deaths and population for the 11 age groups. (Columns A & B)
Step 2:	Calculate age-specific rates by dividing the number of deaths by the population and multiply the result by 100,000. (Column C)
Step 3:	Multiply each age-specific rate by the corresponding standard age proportion (Column D) and enter the result in Column E.
Step 4:	Sum the rates in Column E to obtain the County Age-Adjusted Death Rate: 476.48 per 100,000 population.

For further information on age-adjusted death rates, see:
Curtin, Lester R., and Richard J. Klein "Direct Standardization (Age-Adjusted Death Rates)", Healthy People 2000 Statistical Notes. No. 6-Revised, March 1995, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, DHHS Publication No. (PHS) 95-1237.

The selection of county can be achieved by clicking on either the location on the map of California or the name of the county at the left margin. The entire state can be selected only by clicking on the name "California".

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Database Selection

Click on the "Next Screen" button to bring up a screen that will allow further criteria selections to refine your query. Click on the "Reset" button to clear selections made on this screen.

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Birth Data
Year	County of Residence	County of Occurrence	Gender	Age of Mother	Birthweight (in grams)	Race/Ethnicity  of Mother	Month Prenatal Care Began
1994 1995 1996 1997	California Alameda through Yuba	California Alameda through Yuba	Male Female	Under 15 15 – 17 18 – 19 20 – 24 25 – 29 30 – 34 35 – 39 40 – 44 45+	< 500 500 - 1499 1500 – 2499 2500 - 4499 4500 – 6499 6500+ Unknown	Hispanic Black White Asian/Other	1st Trimester (Months 1 – 3)   2nd Trimester (Months 4 – 6)   3rd Trimester (Months 7 – 9)   No Care, Unknown

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Birth Statistics
Statistical Term	Definition	Formula
Number of Births	Total number of live births based on the criteria chosen.
Population	Total population based upon the specific criteria selected such as the population in a specific sex, race and age group. Population figures are based upon Department of Finance estimates or projections.
Percent of Total Births	Only available when the statistic "Count" is selected.	Row Condition Row Total	x 100
Crude Birth Rate	Number of live births divided by the estimated or projected total population.	number of live births  total population	x 1,000
Age-Specific Birth Rate	The number  of births for the specific age group divided by the estimated or projected population in that age group.	live births to women in specific age group  female population in that age group	x 1,000
Sex-Specific Birth Rate	The number of births in a specific gender divided by the estimated or projected population in that gender.	live births in a specific sex group population in that sex group	x 1,000
Race-Specific Birth Rate	The number of births in a specific race group divided by the estimated or projected population in that race group.	live births in a specific race group population in that race group	x 1,000
General Fertility Rate	The number of all births divided by the estimated or projected female population ages 15 to 44.	number of live births female population 15 - 44 years old	x 1,000

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Death Statistics
Statistical Term	Definition	Formula
Number of Deaths	Total number of deaths based on the criteria chosen.
Population	Total population based upon the specific criteria selected such as the population in a specific sex, race and age group. Population figures are based on Department of Finance estimates or projections.
Crude Death Rate	Number of deaths divided by the estimated or projected total population.	number of deaths total population	x 100,000
Age-Specific Death Rate	The number of deaths in a  specific age group divided by the estimated or projected population in that age group.	number of deaths within a specific age group population in that age group	x 100,000
Sex-Specific Death Rate	The number of deaths in a specific gender divided by the estimated or projected population in that gender..	deaths in a specific sex group  population in that sex group	x 100,000
Race-Specific Death Rate	The number of deaths in a specific race group divided by the estimated or projected population in that race group.	deaths in a specific race group  population in that race group	x 100,000
Cause-Specific Death Rate	The number of deaths due to a specific cause of death divided by the estimated or projected population.	deaths from a specific cause  total population	x 100,000

Year - The year in which the birth occurred.

Mother's Place of Residence - The place where the mother usually resides. For this project, Alameda County through Yuba County will be utilized to generate birth tabulations by mother's place of residence.

Place of Occurrence - The place where the child was born. Like mother's place of residence, Alameda County through Yuba County will be utilized to generate birth tabulations by place of occurrence.

Age of Mother - The mother's age on the day the child was born.

Sex of Child - The sex of the child at birth. For this query system, records coded "unknown" will be enumerated with the records coded "male" when generating tabulations by sex of child. Furthermore, each tabulation generated by the sex of the child will have a footnote indicating the number of records of "unknown sex" that were included with the "males".

Race/Ethnicity of Mother - The mother's self-reported race/ethnicity. For this query system, race will be defined as the following four groups: Hispanic, White (Non-Hispanic), Black (Non-Hispanic), and Other/Unknown (Non-Hispanic).

Spanish/Hispanic Origin of Mother - The mother's self-reported Spanish/Hispanic Origin. When creating tabulations by the four race groups (Hispanic, White (Non-Hispanic), Black (Non-Hispanic), and Other/Unknown (Non-Hispanic)), the mothers who are of Spanish/Hispanic Origin are enumerated and grouped prior to the other three race groups.

Birthweight - The weight (in grams) of the child at birth. For this project, records coded "not weighed" will be enumerated with the records coded "not stated" when generating tabulations by birthweight. In addition, low birthweight is under 2,500 grams, and very low birthweight is under 1,500 grams.

Month Prenatal Care Began - The month in which the mother first visited a physician or other health care provider for medical supervision of her pregnancy. For data analyses, month prenatal care began is usually grouped by trimester. First trimester is codes 1-3, second trimester is codes 4-6, and third trimester is codes 7-9.

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Year - The year in which the death occurred.

Decedent's Place of Residence - The place where the decedent usually resided. This application is restricted to California and its 58 counties (Alameda County through Yuba County) for decedent's place of residence. Decedent's that resided out of state or out of country are not available.

Place of Occurrence - The place where the decedent died. Like decedent's place of residence, only California or Alameda County through Yuba County will be utilized to generate death tabulations by place of occurrence.

Age of Decedent - The decedent's age on the day he/she died.

Sex of Decedent - The sex of the decedent at death.

Race/Ethnicity of Decedent - The decedent's reported race/ethnicity. For this query system, race will be defined as the following four groups: Hispanic, White (Non-Hispanic), Black (Non-Hispanic), and Other/Unknown (Non-Hispanic).

Spanish/Hispanic Origin of Decedent - The decedent's reported Spanish/Hispanic Origin. When creating tabulations by the four race groups (Hispanic, White (Non-Hispanic), Black (Non-Hispanic), and Other/Unknown (Non-Hispanic)), the decedents who are of Spanish/Hispanic Origin have been enumerated and grouped prior to the other three race groups.

Underlying Cause of Death - The underlying cause of death is the disease or injury that initiated the chain of events leading directly to death. The underlying causes of death were coded using the International Classification of Diseases - Ninth Revision (ICD-9). For this project, 67 group causes of death were selected to generate death tabulations by underlying causes of death. These 67 groups, including their corresponding ICD-9 codes are illustrated in the Death Selection Criteria section of these instructions.