The US had a record 4,317,000 births in 2007, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics (Births, Preliminary Data for 2007 [PDF]).

As reported in the New York Times, other significant data points include:

• teen births rose for the second straight year
• births to unmarried women reached a record high of 40%
• the rate of deliveries by Caesarean section continues to rise

The University Office of Global Programs will host a Faculty Fulbright Application workshop on Wednesday, March 25, at 4 pm in Ballroom D-E of the the Nittany Lion Inn.

Fulbright grants support 3- and 12-month research or lecture projects that involve significant interaction with international colleagues or on-site work at an international venue, as well as shorter projects for senior faculty and administrators.

Getting an accurate count of minority and immigrant populations has always posed a challenge for the Census Bureau, but in 2010 the issue may be even more complex, as reported by the AP (see International Herald Tribune article).

What would it take to accelerate fertility decline in the least developed countries? (PDF) is the first in a new series of policy briefs from the United Nations Population Division.

The Policy Brief focuses on current fertility levels in the world’s least developed countries – a group of 49 countries designated as such by the United Nations General Assembly. In 31 of them, fertility rates remain above 5 children per woman.

The Policy Brief discusses fertility trends and contraceptive use in the least developed countries based on the most recent data compiled by the Population Division. The Policy Brief asserts that expansion of access to family planning requires government commitment and that strengthening and expanding family planning services require adequate funding and access to supplies. It also emphasizes that investments in family planning are cost-effective because of the strong synergistic effects of longer birth intervals and lower fertility on other development goals.

The following grant announcements are new this week on the Population Research Institute Funding Announcements web page.

AHRQ Grant Program for Large Conference Support (R13) and (U13) [expiration date extended to April 13, 2010] – Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Biobehavioral Methods to Improve Outcomes Research (R01) – National Cancer Institute (NCI) – National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) – National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) – National Institute of General Medical Sciences – National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) – National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) – Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR)

Biobehavioral Methods to Improve Outcomes Research (R21) – National Cancer Institute (NCI) – National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) – National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) – National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) – Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR)

Clara Mayo Grants – Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI)

Economics Program – National Science Foundation (NSF)

Exploratory Grants for Behavioral Research in Cancer Control (R21) – National Cancer Institute (NCI) – National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)

Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program – National Science Foundation (NSF)

Human Growth Foundation Small Grants Program – Human Growth Foundation

Residential Fellows – Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences

The National Institutes of Health is posting funding opportunities and other news to Twitter. Follow NIHforHealth to get all the updates.

The United Nations Population Division has just released the 2008 revision of its World Population Prospects database.

From the announcement:

The results of the 2008 Revision incorporate the findings of the most recent national population censuses and of numerous specialized population surveys carried out around the world. The 2008 Revision provides the demographic data and indicators to assess trends at the global, regional and national levels and to calculate many other key indicators commonly used by the United Nations system.

The following grant announcements are new this week on the Population Research Institute Funding Announcements web page.

Active Living Research and Healthy Eating Research Rapid Response Grants Round 2 – Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Center for Rural Pennsylvania 2010 Request for Proposals – Center for Rural Pennsylvania

National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology – Children’s Bureau

Recovery Act Limited Competition: Core Facility Renovation, Repair, and Improvement (G20) – National Center for Research Resources (NCRR)

Recovery Act Limited Competition: Extramural Research Facilities Improvement Program (C06) – National Center for Research Resources (NCRR)

Recovery Act Limited Competition: NIH Challenge Grants in Health and Science Research (RC1) – National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Regional Small Grants Program – University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research (UKCPR)

Young Investigator Development Grants Program – University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research (UKCPR)

The PRI Lbrary has received announcement of the Romantic Relationships in Emerging Adulthood Research Conference, sponsored by The Center for Family and Demographic Research and the National Center for Marriage Research, to be held on March 25, 2009 at Bowling Green University in Ohio.

The PRI Library has received an announcement of a MEPS workshop to be held May 6-7, 2009 in Rockville, MD.