Children’s Health Report Finds ‘Mixed’ Results
More U.S. children are born underweight and become obese, but fewer high school seniors smoke, according to the annual "America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2006" report released on Friday, the Newark Star-Ledger reports (O'Crowley, Newark Star-Ledger, 7/14). The report, compiled annually since 1997 by a number of federal agencies, examined the health and behavior of the 73.3 million U.S. children younger than age 18 (Talan, Long Island Newsday, 7/14).
According to the report:
- The percentage of children between ages six and 17 who were overweight increased to 18% in 2004 from 17% in 2002;
- 25% of non-Hispanic black girls were overweight in 2004, compared to 16% of white girls;
- The birthrate for girls ages 15 to 17 decreased to 22.1 births per 1,000 girls in 2004 from 22.4 per 1,000 in 2003, and the birthrate for non-Hispanic black girls in that age group decreased to 37 births per 1,000 girls in 2004 from 86 per 1,000 in 1991 (Nesmith, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7/14);
- The percentage of children ages four to 11 exposed to secondhand smoke decreased to 59% in 2004 from 88% in the ten years between 1994 and 2004;
- The percentage of high school seniors who reported smoking cigarettes daily decreased to 14% in 2005 from 16% in 2004;
- The rate of infants who weigh 5.8 pounds or less at birth increased to 8.1% in 2004 from 7.9% in 2003 (Newark Star-Ledger, 7/14);
- 89% of children had health insurance in 2004, and 82% of households reported that their children had "very good or excellent" health (Long Island Newsday, 7/14).