A report, America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2008, paints a relatively positive picture of conditions for children under 18 in the United States.
There are just over 73 million children under age 18 in the United States, or about 25 percent of the population. One in four children live with a single parent.
The Good News
There have been moderate improvements in several important categories of child health and well-being.
- The child poverty rate is currently at 18 percent, up slightly in the past several years but much lower than a decade ago.
- The adolescent birth rate continued to drop – reaching a record low.
- The adolescent death rate dropped to an all-time low. This was due primarily to a sharp decrease in firearm deaths.
- Children and adolescents were slightly less likely to smoke than in previous years.
- More young children received a “good” diet.
- The percentage of young people who completed high school was stable at 87 percent. Also, 69 percent of high school completers enrolled immediately in a 2- or 4-year college – up from 67 percent in 2004.
Continuing Concerns
Not all areas of well-being showed improvements. Several areas showed a need for further work.
- The number of children with asthma increased 20 percent in the past 10 years.
- The percentage of low-birthweight infants (less than 5.5 pounds) was up slightly over past years.
- Alcohol and drug use among adolescents down slightly from the previous several years but is still too high.
- Eighty-nine percent of American children live in homes with health insurance coverage. (This is down from 90 percent in 2004.) More than 10 million children were still not covered by health insurance.
- The proportion of children ages 6–17 who are overweight rose to 18 percent – up from 11 percent in 1994.
“Children living in poverty are more likely to have difficulty in school, to earn less as adults, and to become teen parents,” according to Dr. Duane Alexander of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Summary
Life in general seems to be improving for America’s children. But as a nation we have a long way to go in reducing drug and alcohol use, teen violence, asthma, obesity, and poverty. Improvements are needed in healthcare, education, and many other areas.
What can you do? Be the best parent, grandparent, or caregiver you can be. |
