U.S. report: teen pregnancies up, 8th grade smoking down, 9% asthma in children

William Atkins
Saturday, 12 July 2008 20:19

Science - Health

The U.S. report also stated the following statistics:

Please note that the statistics from both pages of this article came from the National Center for Health Statistics website: “America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being"

•    Environmental (second-hand) Smoke: Decline in second-hand smoke found in children (as measured by cotinine, indicator of nicotine, in the blood). The percent of children with detectable cotinine levels dropped significantly in the past fifteen years, still over 50% of children ages four to 11 years have detectable levels. Those children have an increased risk of respiratory conditions.

•    Cigarette Smoking: Daily cigarette smoking among eighth-graders in the U.S. went down from 4% in 2006 to 3% in 2007, a dramatic decrease from 1996, when 10% of eighth-graders smoked daily.

•    Asthma: 9% of children have asthma, but among specific groups, asthma affects 13% of black children and 26% of Puerto Rican children.

•    Dental: In 2005, 76% of children ages two to 17 years had a dental visit in the past year, but only 50% of children without health insurance had a dental visit. The latest data show that 25% of children had untreated dental cavities, an increase from the previous survey. Fewer children from poor and near-poor families had a dental visit and they were more likely to have untreated cavities.

•    Low-Income Families: Children in low-income families suffer from greater risks, are less likely to be covered by health insurance, to have a regular source of medical care, and to receive key preventive health services.

•    Low-birth-weight Births: There continues to be a steady increase in the number of babies born with low birth-weight – a major risk for infant mortality. The rate for black-non-Hispanic infants is more than twice that for white non-Hispanic babies. Low-birth weight infants (defined as less than five pounds, eight ounces), are at increased risk for infant death and such disabilities as deafness, blindness, and cerebral palsy.

•    Overweight Children: Percentage of children six to 17 years who are overweight tripled over the past two-and-a-half decades.

•    Injuries and Mortality: Injury and mortality among adolescent children ages 15 to 19 years went down from 2004 to 2005.

•    Crime: More youth offenders, ages 12 to 17 years, were involved in serious violent crimes in the period from 2004 to 2005.

•    Drug Use: The number of students who reported using illicit drugs over the past 30 days (at the time of the study) did not change significantly from 2006 to 2007 among eighth-, tenth-, and twelvth-grader children.