The Kidsdata News Roundup
News, Research, and
Data About Children's Health and Well Being
February 2011
California Officials Urge Parents to Enroll Children with Pre-Existing Conditions
in Health Insurance Before March 1 Deadline
Under last year’s Federal health care reform and recent California law, health plans can no longer deny or limit coverage to a child under 19 because of a pre-existing health condition. State health officials are urging families to take advantage of the new law and sign up their children for private health insurance plans before open enrollment ends March 1. Read more in our recent blog post, "Act Fast to Enroll in Affordable Health Insurance for Your Child."
Want to Join the Kidsdata.org Team?
We have a job opening for a Data Manager. The Data Manager will have primary responsibility for ensuring the quality, rigor, and comprehensiveness of data provided by the foundation through its kidsdata.org website.
|
Autism Diagnoses Triple Among K-12 Students, New Data on Kidsdata.org Show
(California Watch, 2/4/11, by Lin)
Report: Almost 40% of U.S. Youth with Autism Receive No Medical, Mental Health Assistance for Transition to Adulthood
(HealthDay, 2/9/11, by Goodwin)
See the Data:
The number of California public school students enrolled in special education with a diagnosis of autism increased from 17,508 to 59,690 between 2002 and 2010. See a related blog post: "A Closer Look at the Growth in Autism Diagnoses."
Only about 17 percent of California youth ages 12-17 with special needs who lived below the poverty level received services for the transition to adulthood, according to survey data from 2005-2006.
California Hospitals Should Do More to Promote Breastfeeding Among New Moms, Study Shows
(HealthyCal.org ,1/27/11, by Weintraub)
See the Data:
The percent of California mothers who exclusively breastfed in the hospital after giving birth remained fairly steady from 2000-2007 at roughly 43 percent.
Opinion: Gun Violence and Homicide Are Pressing Public Health Concerns Among Youth in California
(SJ Mercury, 2/6/11, by Drummond)
See the Data:
In California public schools, 7-9 percent of boys in grades 7, 9 and 11 reported carrying a gun to school at least once in the past year, according to 2006-08 data.
California Ranks 44th in Nation in Delivering Health Care to Children, Study Finds
(SF Chronicle, 2/2/11, by Colliver)
Also See: Letter from David Alexander, President & CEO of the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health: California Must Develop Better System of Care for Children with Special Health Care Needs (scroll down)
Study: Universal Health Care Reduces, but Doesn't Eliminate, Health Disparities Between Social Classes
(MedPage Today, 2/8/11, by Smith)
See the Data:
Most California children (about 90 percent) receive excellent or good health care, according to a 2010 survey of parents, but 1 in 10 kids have parents who describe their child's health care quality as fair, poor, or very poor.
About 17 percent of California kids who live in households with annual household incomes under $25K receive poor or fair quality health care, according to parents, compared to only 3-4 percent for kids in households with incomes above $100K.
Opinion: California Is Failing Homeless Youths
(SJ Mercury, 1/24/11, by Burton and Liu)
See the Data:
The number of California public school students who are homeless increased from 142,000 in 2004 to more than 224,000 in 2008.
Fresno Families Struggling to Meet Basic Needs
(Vida En El Valle, 1/26/11, by Plevin)
See the Data:
In Fresno County, about 39 percent of Latino children lived in poverty in 2009, compared to 28 percent statewide. Find rates for your county.
Funding Gaps Nationwide Leave Many Schools Lacking Nurses
(LA Times, 1/16/11, by Ogilvie)
See the Data:
In 2009, California averaged 2,035 students for each public school nurse, far worse than the national recommendation of 750 students per nurse. 13 counties had a ratio of 3,000 kids or more per school nurse.
Childhood Chronic Illness Affects Future Income, Education, Career, Study Finds
(Health Behavior News Service, 2/1/11, by Esposito)
See the Data:
In 2007, about 15 percent of California children had special health care needs, meaning they had a chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional condition and also experienced consequences due to their condition.
Study: Some Vaccines Tied to Lower Kids' Leukemia Risks
(Reuters, 2/2/11, by Pittman)
Parents Who Resist Childhood Vaccinations Raise Public Health Concerns
(SF Chronicle, 2/7/11, by Shlaes)
See the Data:
In California, Leukemia is the most common childhood cancer; about 2,560 kids were diagnosed with Leukemia between 2002-2006.
In 2008, about 92 percent of California children received all required immunizations by kindergarten, similar to previous years.
Many California Voters Say Childhood Obesity Is a Serious Issue, Survey Shows
(SF Gate, 2/8/11, by Mohajer)
Study: Kids' Chances of Being Overweight Rise the Longer Their Mothers Work Outside the Home
(HealthDay, 2/4/11, by Behen)
See the Data:
In 2008, 68-70 percent of California public school students in grades 5, 7, and 9 were at a healthy weight.
California Ranks 44th Nationally on Child Health System Performance
A recent Commonwealth Fund study, The State Scorecard on Child Health System Performance 2011, finds that California ranks 44th in the nation on a scorecard composed of 20 indicators measuring health care access, affordability of care, prevention and treatment, the potential to lead healthy lives, and health system equity. Read the full report at http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Publications/Fund-Reports/2011/Feb/State-Scorecard-Child-Health.aspx.
Paying Later: High Costs of Failing to Invest in Young Children
A new analysis by the Pew Center on the States describes the cost of failing to invest in early childhood programs. The analysis aims to help policymakers and the public evaluate the consequences of today's funding decisions. In particular, the authors estimate the social costs caused by negative outcomes, including child abuse and neglect, high school dropouts, criminal activity, teen pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse, and other health problems. Read the report at http://www.gcyf.org/usr_doc/High_Cost_of_Failing_to_Invest_in_Yong_Children.pdf.
What Do California Parents Say About Their Kids?
See Data From New Statewide Survey
Results from a wide-ranging survey that asked California parents how they view their children's health and well being provide a wealth of current data that can inform and support the work of organizations across California that serve kids. Some data from the 2010 California Parent Survey now are available on kidsdata.org, and more will be added to the site in the coming months.
Know of news that we should include in our next edition of the Kidsdata News Roundup? Send us an e-mail.
