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Vital statistics provide a snapshot of children's health. Highlights of the annual summary of vital statistics for 2008 obtained from birth and death certificates for residents in all U.S. states and the District of Columbia include the following:
The number of recorded births in 2008 was 4.25 million, representing a slight decline from 4.31 million in 2007.
The percentage of births to unwed mothers was 41%.
The birth rate for women aged 40 to 44 was 9.9 per 1000 women, the highest rate in 4 decades.
After a slight increase in 2007, teen birth rates declined to 42 per 1000 teenagers, a 33% drop from 1991.
The cesarean-section rate reached 32%, the 12th consecutive year of increase.
The percentage of low birth weight infants was the same as in 200…