The proportion was one in five in 1995.

AHRQ found that:

About 1.3 million women gave birth via cesarean section in 2005, a 38 percent increase over the 800,000 C-sections performed in 1995. The increase occurred as vaginal deliveries among women who gave birth in hospitals declined from about 3 million in 1995 to 2.9 million in 2005, a decrease of 3 percent. The sharpest decline in vaginal deliveries in hospitals was among women who had previously given birth via C-section. Vaginal deliveries among those women dropped 60 percent, from 157,200 in 1995 to 62,300 in 2005. Hospitals charged $21.3 billion for patient stays involving vaginal delivery in 2005 and $17.4 billion for those involving birth by C-section.

C-section is a surgical method usually performed when a vaginal delivery would put the baby's or mother's life or health at risk. Increasingly, however, the procedure is performed during births that would otherwise have been normal.

This AHRQ News & Numbers summary is based on data in HCUP Facts and Figures, which highlights the latest data from AHRQ's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) on a range of hospital inpatient care subjects, including leading reasons for hospitalization, such as childbirth, diabetes, and heart conditions; weight-loss, cardiac and other surgical procedures; and hospital costs.

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The difference between dementia and Alzheimer's disease is simply that Alzheimer's disease is one of the major causes of dementia but there are many others.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia accounting for between 50% and 70% of all cases and is a physical condition which attacks the brain, resulting in impaired memory, thinking and behaviour.

As brain cells die, abnormal material builds up and as the disease progresses, long-term memory is also lost; the disease also affects many of the brain's other functions and as a result many other of behaviour.

Vascular dementia is the second most common cause accounting for up to 20% of all cases of dementia; strokes and mini strokes can cause vascular dementia, as can poor circulation of blood to the brain.

The symptoms of vascular dementia may appear similar to Alzheimer's disease.

There are other causes of dementia such as Parkinson's disease and most forms of dementia, are progressive and incurable.

Dementia affects the young as well as older people and there are 10,000 Australians with dementia who are people under 65; some are as young as 35.

High blood pressure, high cholesterol and smoking are all risk factors for the development of dementia, as well as for heart disease and eating healthily and exercising regularly are important in reducing dementia risks, as is management of diabetes and cardiovascular conditions.

Alzheimer's Australia says the findings were both surprising and encouraging.

The Pfizer Australia Health Report was produced in partnership with Alzheimer's Australia and can be accessed at www.healthreport.au