Report Finds Racial Disparities in Kids’ Access to Health Education

African-American, Latino and American Indian children in California have significantly less access to health and education opportunities than Asian and white children in the state, according to a report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, KQED's "The California Report" reports (Dornhelm, "The California Report," KQED, 4/1).

Report Details

The report examined four categories:

• Early childhood education;
• Education and early work;
• Family supports; and
• Neighborhood contexts (Stockton Record, 4/1).

Within those categories, the report looked at 12 indicators to measure "a child's opportunity to thrive," including:

• Access to preschool;
• Birthweight; and
• Math and reading proficiency.

Researchers then scored racial and ethnic groups on a scale of zero to 1,000, with 1,000 being the highest score.

Report Findings

According to the report:

• Asian and Pacific Islander children in California had the highest score, at 768;
• White children scored 748;
• American Indian children scored 529;
• Latino children scored 405; and
• African American children scored 395.

Reaction

Sarah de Guia, director of government affairs at the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, said, "It is very important that we look at all policies through a health lens," noting that multiple factors, including a child's home environment and their access to reliable transportation, can affect children's overall health.

Nadereh Pourat -- professor of health services at the UCLA School of Public Health -- said the state should look for "multicultural solutions" to reduce health disparities among racial and ethnic populations in California ("The California Report," KQED, 4/1).