The Kidsdata News Roundup
News, Research, and Data About Children's Health and Well Being
April 28, 2011

14 California Organizations Win Grants to Use Data to Promote Child Health The Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health has awarded grants to 14 California organizations to promote the use of data to foster improvements in children’s health. The grants are intended to encourage creative strategies for using data to document child health issues and bring them to the attention of decision-makers.  See a list of the grantees>>

Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs
Study: Many Teens Don’t See Harm in Drinking 5 or More Alcoholic Drinks a Day
(San Jose Mercury News, 4/5/11, by Kerr)

Teen Substance Abuse in the U.S. on the Rise Over Past 3 Years, Study Finds
(LA Times, 4/6/11, by Marsh)

Study: Secondhand Smoke Linked to Mental Health Problems in Children
(SF Chronicle, 4/6/11, by Kaplan)

See the Data:
In California, roughly one in five 11th graders reported binge drinking at least one time in the past 30 days, according to 06-08 data.

In 2010, about 15% of California children lived in households with smokers, according to a survey of California parents.



Demographics
White Children in U.S. to Become the New Minority Within the Decade, Report Predicts
(NY Times, 4/6/11, by Tavernise)

Drop in U.S. Birth Rate Is the Biggest in 30 Years, Data Show
(LA Times, 3/31/11, by Roan)

Census Shows Rise in Multiracial Population of Youth
(NY Times, 3/24/11, by Saulny)

See the Data:
In California, White children already are a minority (30.6%); Latino children account for about half of the child population.

The overall California child population rose from about 9 to 10 million from 1995-2009.

The number of multiracial kids in California rose steadily from 2000 to 2005, but leveled off since then, to about 369,000 in 2009.



Family Structure
Divorce Becoming More Common in Rural America, Changing the Face of Its Families, Census Data Show
(NY Times, 3/23/11, by Tavernise and Gebeloff)

See the Data:
The percent of households with kids headed by married couples varies by county in California, from about 53-76% in 2007-2009.



Immigration
Parsing the Cost — and Benefits — of Undocumented Parents and Kids
(HealthyCal.org, 4/14/11, by Gardner)

See the Data:
8% of California children ages 5-17 were foreign-born according to 2007-2009 estimates from the American Community Survey.



Juvenile Arrests
Counties Differ Radically Across California on Handling of Youth Offenders
(The Bay Citizen, 4/17/11, by Bundy)

See the Data:
The juvenile felony arrest rate in California varies widely by county, from 7.7 to 34.7 arrests per 1,000 youth ages 10-17, according to 2008 data.



Preterm Births
Simple Hormone Treatment Cuts Preterm Births by 45 Percent, Study Finds
(Reuters, 4/6/11, by Steenhuysen)

See the Data:
In 2009, 6.8% of California infants were born at low birthweight (about 5 pounds, 5 ounces).



School Nurses
Less Than Half of U.S. Schools Have a Full-Time Nurse
(CNN, 4/4/11, by Mithers)

See the Data:
In California, there were about 2,000 public school students for every 1 school nurse in 2009.



Special Health Care Needs
Autism Groups Calling for Greater Awareness, Study of Wandering Behavior
(CNN, 4/11/11, by Landau)

See the Data:
8.8% of California students enrolled in special education were diagnosed with autism in 2010, compared to 2.6% in 2002.



Other Research and Reports

Reports Illustrate Issues Faced by Low-Income Children
Two reports from the National Center for Children in Poverty detail the characteristics of more than 15 million children living in poverty nationwide, a number that increased by 33% between 2000 and 2009. “Who Are America’s Poor Children? The Official Story” summarizes demographic data and key issues facing this population, as well as what should be done about child poverty. “Poor Children by Parents’ Nativity: What Do We Know?” describes the unique issues facing low-income children with immigrant parents in the U.S.

Report Card Sheds Light on How Kids Are Faring in San Joaquin Valley
Widespread poverty emerged as the main headline in the Kern County Report Card, released this month by the Kern County Network for Children. The report, which includes 160+ measures of child and youth well being, notes the toll that the recession has taken on youth in the area, with family income dropping, unemployment rising, and 25% of kids living below the federal poverty line. But the report showed some areas of improvement as well, including notable decreases in rates of child abuse and children in foster care. Read the report and a related blog post.

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