Physical Well Being
Newly released statistical reports provide data on the well-being of children in the United States
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Tuesday, September 1, 2009 3:01 PM EDT
New reports are now available for two landmark efforts to collect and report data on the well-being of children in the United States. The "KIDS COUNT Data Book," produced by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, provides a profile of how children are doing in each state. The book reports on indicators of educational achievement, economic well-being, and health, among others. The book also ranks states on a composite indicator of child wellness, aggregating measures such as infant mortality rate, graduation rates, and children in poverty. According to this aggregate measure, New Hampshire ranks first and Mississippi ranks at the bottom. A new report issued by ChildStats.gov, "America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2009," describes the population of children in the United States according to 40 indicators of well-being, with a special focus in this issue on children with special health care needs. The study found that 14 percent of children in the United States have a special health care need, defined as a health problem expected to last at least 12 months and which requires prescription medication, special therapies, or which limits his or her ability to do things most children can do.
See the KIDS COUNT Shiawassee County data at kidscount.org:
http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/bystate/stateprofile.aspx?state=MI&loc=3821