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Income, Parental Education Significantly Affect Children’s Health
October 10, 2008 12:19 PM
A new study has found that poverty and a lack of parental education prevent some children from living past their first birthdays.
Disparities in Children’s Health
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America recently released the results of a state-by-state study of how a child’s health relates to household income and their parents’ education level. The group’s findings indicate that the better off parents are in terms of education and finances, the more likely they are to raise healthy children.
According to U.S. News & World Report, 16 percent of children under age 17 “are in less than optimal health.” Sue Egerter, one of the study’s authors, said, “These children are not simply suffering from earaches, these are kids with much higher rates of chronic medical conditions including asthma, respiratory allergies and learning disabilities.” In combination, sound finances and education help parents make smart health-related choices for their children and provide them with access to health care when necessary.
“In almost every state and the District of Columbia, children in the poorest and least educated households suffer the worst health outcomes,” the commission stated. In fact, kids living in the “poorest and least educated households” may not even live until their first birthdays.
“This vividly illustrates how much education and income matter to children’s health,” Paula Braveman of the University of California, San Francisco, Center on Social Disparities in Health, said in a Deseret News article.
Maine held the top spot for the lowest infant mortality rate in the country, followed by Utah. The commission’s next study is a review of how factors outside health care can affect an individual’s lifestyle. Recommendations for improving health will be released in April 2009.
According to U.S. News & World Report, 16 percent of children under age 17 “are in less than optimal health.” Sue Egerter, one of the study’s authors, said, “These children are not simply suffering from earaches, these are kids with much higher rates of chronic medical conditions including asthma, respiratory allergies and learning disabilities.” In combination, sound finances and education help parents make smart health-related choices for their children and provide them with access to health care when necessary.
“In almost every state and the District of Columbia, children in the poorest and least educated households suffer the worst health outcomes,” the commission stated. In fact, kids living in the “poorest and least educated households” may not even live until their first birthdays.
“This vividly illustrates how much education and income matter to children’s health,” Paula Braveman of the University of California, San Francisco, Center on Social Disparities in Health, said in a Deseret News article.
Maine held the top spot for the lowest infant mortality rate in the country, followed by Utah. The commission’s next study is a review of how factors outside health care can affect an individual’s lifestyle. Recommendations for improving health will be released in April 2009.
Related Topics: U.S. infant mortality rates; global poverty
Infant Mortality Rates
In 2005, ABC News reported that the infant mortality rate in the United States was increasing for the first time since 1958. Birthrates for premature babies were on the rise, as were multiple births (twins or greater), which can heighten the chance of an early delivery. Generally speaking, early babies have higher mortality risks. Trends were discernable along racial lines, as well, with African-Americans experiencing nearly double the infant mortality rate of the general population.
Source: ABC News
Global Poverty
Revised figures indicate that one in four individuals in the developing world—or 1.4 million people—were living on less than $1.25 a day in 2005. The World Bank says that poverty in the developing world was more widespread over the past 25 years than previously thought, although progress has been made in reducing poverty overall.
Source: findingDulcinea
Reference: Children’s Health
The findingDulcinea Children’s Health Web Guide recommends some of the best resources for finding age-specific health information for kids, locating a pediatrician and understanding health insurance.
Source: findingDulcinea
© 2009 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
