A Century of Progress in U.S. Infant and Child Survival
From the standpoint of American parents, the best news of the 20th century was the steady, long-term decline in the risk of death for infants and children. (AmeriStat, December 2002)

Healthy Places in the United States
The healthiest place to live in the U.S., judging from death rates that take into account the age distribution of the population, is the state of Hawaii. (AmeriStat, December 2002)

U.S. Trends in Heart Disease, Cancer, and Stroke
Deaths from heart disease and stroke have fallen dramatically over the past 50 years in the United States. While deaths from heart disease and stroke have declined, cancer deaths have remained relatively constant since 1950. (AmeriStat, December 2002)

Water at the Forefront of the World Summit on Sustainable Development
PRB recently spoke with Karin Krchnak, program manager for the Population and Environment Program with the National Wildlife Federation about water in the context of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). (August 2002)

Global Policies Must Address Freshwater Scarcity
One quarter of the global population — an estimated 1.5 billion people — lacks access to drinkable water, and this number is projected to double in the next 25 years. (August 2002)

Higher Education Means Lower Mortality Rates
Mortality rates for Americans ages 25 to 64 who have attended college are less than half the rates for those who stopped education after completing high school. (AmeriStat, August 2002)

Children's Environmental Health: Risks and Remedies

 Due to their size, physiology, and behavior, children are more vulnerable than adults to environmental hazards. Children worldwide require special protection from longstanding risks — such as smoke from traditional fuels — as well as from emerging risks — such as exposure to an increasing number of hazardous chemicals. (July 2002)

Client-Centered Quality: Clients' Perspectives and Barriers to Receiving Care
To provide high-quality reproductive health care, providers must understand and respect their clients’ needs, attitudes, and concerns. This policy brief, one in the series “New Perspectives on Quality of Care,” examines the issues that impede quality of care in providing reproductive health information and services from a client's perspective, and the ways in which these barriers can be overcome. (July 2002)

Providers and Quality of Care
Providers of reproductive health information and services face barriers to providing high-quality care, such as local customs and traditions, medical culture, and the strength of the facility and health care system in which they work. This policy brief, one in the series “New Perspectives on Quality of Care,” discusses the important role that providers play in quality of care and the kinds of interventions experts recommend to improve quality of care. (July 2002)

Healthy Mothers and Healthy Newborns: The Vital Link

 Newborn health starts with maternal health. Although infant and child mortality rates have been dropping, little progress has been made to reduce maternal and newborn death rates. (April 2002)