The Kidsdata News Roundup
News, Research, and Data About Children's Health
June 2010

Allergies
Food Allergies in Children Can Lead to More Chronic Illnesses, Extra Expenses
(New York Times, 5/14/10, by Konrad)

See the Data:
About 48% of CA kids with special health care needs had allergies, according to 2005-06 data.



Bullying
Cartoon Network Plans Major Anti-Bullying Campaign, Along with Complementary Programming for Parents on CNN
(San Francisco Chronicle, 5/25/10, by Crary) 

See the Data:
In 2006-08, about 22% of 7th grade boys in California reported being bullied because of race, 11% due to religion.



Deaths
Child Death Rates Drop Worldwide, But U.S. Lags Far Behind, Report Finds
(Los Angeles Times, 5/24/10, by Levey)

See the Data:
In California, the death rate for children ages 1-4 dropped by 21% from 1996-98 to 2005-07 and by 25% for kids ages 5-14.



Demographics
Hispanics Poised to Become State's Largest Group
(San Francisco Chronicle, 6/5/10, by Berton)

See the Data:
Racial/ethnic breakdown of California children in '09: Hispanic/Latino (49%), Caucasian/White (31%), Asian/Pacific Islander (10%), African American/Black (6%), Multiracial (4%), Native American (0.5%).

From ’95-’09, the number of California children who are Caucasian/White dropped by 14%, while the number of Hispanic/Latino kids increased 35%.



Dental Care
California Ranks 48th Among States in National Survey on Children’s Dental Health
(NY Times, 5/21/10, by Udesky)

See the Data:
Almost 13% of kids ages 2-17 in California have never been to the dentist, according to 2007 data. Percentages are slightly higher in some of the state's larger counties.



Drug Use
37% of CA Voters Have Tried Marijuana, New Poll Finds
(Los Angeles Times, 6/1/10)

See the Data:
California boys who reported having tried marijuana, according to ’06-08 data: Grade 7 (11%), Grade 9 (25%), Grade 11 (39%).



Epilepsy
Children with Epilepsy Say Their Quality of Life Is ‘Not So Bad’
(Science Daily, 5/14/10)

See the Data:
About 2% of CA kids with special health care needs had epilepsy/seizure disorders in 2005-06.



Fitness
U.S. Teens Are Drinking Less Soda, but Still Not Getting Enough Exercise, Survey Finds
(Washington Times, 6/3/10, by Wetzstein)

See the Data:
The percent of California students in grade 9 meeting the state's aerobic fitness standard increased from 49% in ‘99 to 61% in ’08.



Foster Care
New Public Policy Institute of California Report - Foster Care in California: Achievements and Challenges 

See the Data:
Find a summary of data about foster care in California.  



Mental Health
National Group of Pediatricians Calls for Increased Attention to Child Mental Health
(Wall Street Journal, 6/1/10, by Wang)

See the Data:
In California, mental diseases and disorders are the second most common cause of hospitalizations for children ages 0-17 (excluding childbirth). There were more than 21,000 such hospital discharges in California in 2007.



Teen Births
Opinion: California Most Successful State at Reducing Teen Pregnancies
(San Jose Mercury News, 6/10/10, by Grove)

See the Data:
Between 1997-2007, the teen birth rate in California dropped from 54 births per 1,000 girls ages 15-19 to 37 per 1,000.



Teen Sexual Health
40% of Teens Report They’ve Had Sex, Stalling Two-Decade Decline
(HealthDay, 6/2/10, by Gardner)

See the Data:
In 2007, 80% of California teens ages 14-17 said they haven't had sex.



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