MEDIA CONTACT
Alycia Davis, 402-471-1449, alycia.davis@nebraska.gov
Lincoln, NE — The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is excited to announce the Nebraska Vital Statistics Birth Dashboard. Vital statistics data are fundamental to public health assessment and planning processes correlating with the overall health of the population. This dashboard includes de-identified aggregate birth data between the years 2005-2023 for Nebraska resident births. Births that occurred within Nebraska to non-Nebraska residents are not included in the data.
“This dashboard is an invaluable resource for the people of Nebraska, our medical community, and policymakers. By offering timely access to essential birth data, we are empowering informed decision-making that will improve public health outcomes and allow for better public health planning as well as impactful individual interventions in our communities," said Charity Menefee, Public Health Director for DHHS. “This dashboard not only provides insightful data about mothers, babies, and pregnancies in our communities but also showcases unique information such as the top baby names in Nebraska each year. We are proud to launch this critical tool that will help foster healthier families and a stronger, more informed state."
The dashboard allows results to be presented across six overarching sections, including an overall summary, birth rates, baby names, characteristics of the mother (age, race/ethnicity, education, and marital status), characteristics of pregnancy (parity, plurality, smoking status, pre-pregnancy BMI, hypertension, diabetes, previous preterm delivery, adequacy of prenatal care, and trimester of prenatal care), and characteristics of birth (birth weight, breastfeeding at discharge, delivery method, delivery payment source, and gestational age). Results are presented by demographic (age, race/ethnicity, education, and marital status) and geographic (state, local health department, and urban/rural) categories. Users can combine multiple years of data, examine trends over time, and explore data in charts, tables, and maps.
To protect the privacy and security of the data presented within the dashboard, the number of cases or records are suppressed using the following rules: (1) when the count is 1-5, or (2) if only one category is suppressed the next lowest category is also suppressed in instances where the count could be identified through subtraction.
DHHS makes best efforts to ensure the accuracy of all data collected, stored, analyzed, and reported from its databases. The accuracy and completeness of these records depend on the reporting parties. Final data files are generated annually for statistical reporting and used to populate this dashboard. By using this dashboard, users acknowledge the above limitations, and that the data are subject to continuous updating.
Check out the top baby names and more by visiting the dashboard at https://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/Vital-Statistics-Birth-Dashboard.aspx.
For additional information about Nebraska Vital Records, visit https://dhhs.ne.gov/VitalRecords or call 402-471-2871.
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