Report Evaluates California Children’s Health, Well-Being
The number of children in California covered by a parent or guardian's employer-sponsored health plan decreased in 2006, according to a report by advocacy group Children Now, the Ventura County Star reports (Herdt, Ventura County Star, 1/3). Overall, the report found that 760,000 California children are uninsured (Hatfield, Modesto Bee, 1/3).
Researchers evaluated data on issues including:
- Access to health insurance;
- Preschool enrollment; and
- Standardized test scores.
The report found that one-third of California residents ages six to 17 are obese or overweight. The Bee reports that obesity among children continues to rise, a trend that could increase future health care costs and the incidence of conditions such as diabetes (Modesto Bee, 1/3). With regard to obesity, the report gave California a grade of D+ (Marcucci, Oakland Tribune, 1/3).
In addition, the number of California children younger than age 12 with asthma increased to 879,000, about 12% of that population group, according to the report (Ventura County Star, 1/3). Autism and smoking rates also increased, the report found (Boghossian, Los Angeles Daily News, 1/2). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.