Summary health statistics for U.S. children: National Health Interview Survey, 2012.

OBJECTIVES: This report presents both age-adjusted and unadjusted statistics from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) on selected health measures for children under age 18 years, classified by sex, age, race, Hispanic origin, family structure, parent's education, family income, poverty status, health insurance coverage, place of residence, region, and current health status. Topics included are asthma, allergies, learning disability, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), prescription medication use for at least 3 months, respondent-assessed health status, school days missed due to illness or injury, usual place of health care, time since last contact with a health care professional, selected measures of health care access, emergency room (ER) visits, dental care, and special education or early intervention services. DATA SOURCE: NHIS is a multistage probability sample survey conducted annually by interviewers of the U.S. Census Bureau for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics and is representative of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States. This report analyzes data from two of the main components of NHIS: the Family Core, in which data are collected for all family members by interviewing an adult family respondent, and the Sample Child Core, in which additional health information is collected about a randomly selected child (the sample child) from an adult familiar with the child's health. SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS: In 2012, most U.S. children under age 18 years had excellent or very good health (83%). However, 7% of children had no health insurance coverage, and 4% of children had no usual place of health care. Six percent of children had unmet dental need because their families could not afford dental care. Twelve percent of children had one ER visit and 6% had two or more visits. Ten percent of children aged 3-17 years had ADHD.

Reasons for emergency room use among U.S. children: National Health Interview Survey, 2012.

KEY FINDINGS: Data from the National Health Interview Survey, 2012. In 2012, children with Medicaid coverage were more likely than uninsured children and those with private coverage to have visited the emergency room (ER) at least once in the past year. About 75% of children's most recent visits to an ER in the past 12 months took place at night or on a weekend, regardless of health insurance coverage status. The seriousness of the medical problem was less likely to be the reason that children with Medicaid visited the ER at their most recent visit compared with children with private insurance. Among children whose most recent visit to the ER was for reasons other than the seriousness of the medical problem, the majority visited the ER because the doctor's office was not open. Emergency rooms (ERs) are intended to provide care for acute and life-threatening medical conditions for people of all ages, but use is highest among older adults and young children (1). In 2012, 18% of children aged 0-17 years visited the ER at least once in the past year (2). Rising health care costs make it important to understand the reasons that families with children seek ER care, rather than less expensive office-based or outpatient care (3). Families visiting the ER at night or on weekends may have different characteristics or reasons for using the ER than those who visit during the day (4). Previous research among adults found that the majority visited the ER because "only a hospital could help," or the "doctor's office [was] not open" (5). This report provides comparable statistics on reasons for children's ER use.

Use of selected nonmedication mental health services by adolescent boys and girls with serious emotional or behavioral difficulties: United States, 2010-2012.

Mental health is a key component of a child's overall wellbeing. Previous research using data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) found that about 6% of adolescents have serious emotional or behavioral difficulties. Both medication and nonmedication services have been found to be effective for treatment. Two recent reports from the National Center for Health Statistics have presented estimates of medication use among U.S. adolescents. The use of prescription medication for emotional or behavioral difficulties was higher among boys than girls. This report describes differences between boys and girls in the use of nonmedication mental health services in various school and nonschool settings among adolescents aged 12-17 with serious emotional or behavioral difficulties.

Regional variation in use of complementary health approaches by U.S. adults.

KEY FINDINGS: Data from the National Health Interview Survey, 2012 Use of nonvitamin, nonmineral dietary supplements (17.9%) was greater than any other complementary health approach used by U.S. adults in 2012. The use of practitioner-based chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation was nearly twice as high in the West North Central region as in the United States overall. Use of nonvitamin, nonmineral dietary supplements was highest in the Mountain, Pacific, and West North Central regions. Use of yoga with deep breathing or meditation was approximately 40% higher in the Pacific and Mountain regions than in the United States overall. Complementary health approaches are defined as "a group of diverse medical and health care interventions, practices, products, or disciplines that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine". They range from practitioner-based approaches, such as chiropractic manipulation and massage therapy, to predominantly self-care approaches, such as nonvitamin, nonmineral dietary supplements, meditation, and yoga. This report presents estimates of the four most commonly used complementary health approaches among adults aged 18 and over in nine geographic regions, using data from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey adult alternative medicine supplement.