Photo courtesy of Rick Wood of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A recent article in the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel chronicled the financial and emotional costs a family faces when a child is born prematurely. Infants born prematurely have a higher risk of developing immediate, severe health problems and lifelong disabilities compared to babies carried to full-term, and research also shows that preterm (vs. full-term) babies have higher death rates in young adulthood.

Given the importance of this issue, as well as its connection to children with special health care needs, which is a focus area for our foundation, we will soon add a new Preterm Birth indicator to kidsdata.org. We also will update the following related indicators:

• Low Birthweight
• Prenatal Care
• Infant Mortality

Stay tuned for these data in the coming months.

Posted by kidsdata.org

Following are some recent news highlights about children and families, along with related data from kidsdata.org:

Education (see related data)

• Obama to Waive Central Provisions of ‘No Child Left Behind’
  (NY Times, 9/22/11, by Dillon)

Physical Fitness (see related data)

• New Approach to Physical Education Encourages Healthy Habits, Improves Youth Fitness Results
  (WSJ, 9/13/11, by Shellenbarger)

Poverty (see related data)

• Census Report Finds Increase of 950,000 Children Living in Poverty from 2009 to 2010
  (LA Times, 9/13/11, by Semuels and Helfand)

School Meals (see related data)

• Public Schools Face Rising Costs of More Healthful School Lunches
  (NY Times, 9/19/11, by Santos)

Smoking/Risky Behaviors (see related data)

• Tobacco Sales Down for California Minors, Survey Finds
  (Bay Citizen, 9/22/1, by Mcintosh)
• Eating Meals as a Family Linked to Less Risky Behaviors in Teens, Study Says
  (ABC News, 9/22/11, by Francis)

Special Health Care Needs (see related data)

• Premature Babies Face Higher Risk of Death in Early Adulthood, Stanford Researchers Say
  (Time, 9/21/11, by Rochman)
• Study: ADHD Doubles the Risk of Injury Among School-Age Children
  (Consumer Reports, 9/14/11)

Posted by Jordan Handcox

Teen smoking has been in the news lately. And, from what we can see, the news is encouraging.

According to this Bay Citizen article, fewer California retailers are selling cigarettes to minors than ever before. To collect these data, the California Department of Public Health conducts an annual sting operation — sending 700 underage youth to try to buy cigarettes. Results showed that 8% of stores sold cigarettes to minors in 2010, and only 6% did in 2011.

For those teens who do smoke, a new study found that adding physical activity to a cessation routine increases the likelihood that teens will stop smoking. According to the International Business Times, teens who combined counseling with fitness education were more likely to quit than those who didn’t. Evidently the rates for quitting were even more pronounced among teen boys.

On kidsdata.org, we offer data about youth cigarette use for counties and school districts across California. Statewide, the percentage of 11th grade boys and girls reporting they’ve never smoked remained relatively steady from 2003-2008. Find data for your region>>

Posted by Felicity Simmons

Earlier this week, the kidsdata team participated in a forum for the media, “Growing Up Poor in the Bay Area.” The San Francisco forum, hosted by New America Media, began with a presentation from our foundation’s Andy Krackov, who covered data on childhood poverty in California and the Bay Area. The data tell a compelling story of the rising levels of poverty and decreases in median family income in the Bay Area, all alongside increases in the cost of rent for housing.

After the data presentation, New America Media showcased a number of youth-created videos that took an in-depth look at the face of childhood poverty in the Bay Area. One video chronicles a family’s fight to survive after the primary bread-winners are deported. Another video chronicles an East Palo Alto mother’s struggle to feed her family healthful meals on a tight budget. The video below documents a day in the life of a young baby in San Francisco’s Hunters Point neighborhood, whose family struggles daily to make ends meet.

Tying data together with personal stories like these helps bring a human face to the numbers. Our foundation will be part of another “Growing Up Poor in the Bay Area” session with New America Media, this time in San Jose. Details will be posted on this blog.

Posted by Jordan Handcox