ED455036
PS029692
Title: America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being,
2001.
Author(s): Benson, Carole, Ed.
Author Affiliation: Federal Interagency Forum on Child and
Family Statistics, Washington, DC.(BBB34969)
Pages: 139
Publication Date: July 2001
Notes: For 2000 edition, see ED 443 547.
Sponsoring Agency: National Center for Health Statistics
(DHHS/PHS), Hyattsville, MD. (BBB20347)
Available from: EDRS Price MF01/PC06 Plus Postage.
Availability: National Maternal Child Health Clearinghouse,
2070 Chain Bridge Road, Suite 450, Vienna, VA 22182. Tel: 888-434-4624
(Toll Free); e-mail: nmchc@circsol.com. Web site: http://www.childstats.gov.
Language: English
Document Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data (110); Reports--Descriptive
(141)
Geographic Source: U.S.; District of Columbia
Journal Announcement: RIEDEC2001
Government Level: Federal
This report
is the fifth to present nationwide data on the well-being of America's
children. The statistical portrait is based on indicators of child
well-being and on contextual measures describing the changing population
and family context. Part 1 of the report, "Population and Family
Characteristics," presents information illustrating trends
in eight key demographic measures, including children as a proportion
of the population, racial and ethnic composition, and difficulty
speaking English. Part 2, "Indicators of Children's Well-Being,"
presents data on 24 key indicators in the following areas: (1) Economic
Security, including child poverty, family income, parent employment,
housing problems, and health care access; (2) Health, including
activity limitation, immunization, low birthweight, mortality rates,
and adolescent births; (3) behavior and social environment, including
cigarette smoking, alcohol use, illicit drug use, and crime victimization;
(4) education, including family reading, early childhood education,
achievement, high school completion, and youth neither enrolled
in school nor working; and (5) Special Features, asthma prevalence,
and youth employment. For each background measure or indicator,
three types of information are presented: reasons the measure or
indicator is important to understanding children's well-being, figures
illustrating trends or population group differences, and highlights
with information on current status, recent trends, and important
population group differences. Additional indicators needed are also
noted. The report's two appendices present detailed data tables
and data source descriptions. Among the key findings, the report
notes that children are projected to remain a stable percentage
of the total population, while the ethnic diversity of America's
children continues to increase. The poverty rate for children living
with family members reached a high of 22 percent in 1993 and has
since decreased to its lowest rate since 1979. Unintentional injuries
continue to be the leading cause of death for children and youth
ages 1 to 19. In 1999, the adolescent birth rate was at a record
low. Cigarette use among adolescents shows indications of decline,
with rates of heavy drinking remaining largely unchanged from 1999.
Long-term trend mathematics and reading assessment scores for 1999
showed improvements in mathematics since 1982 but not in reading.
Asthma is the most common chronic childhood illness in the United
States, and the percentage of children diagnosed with asthma appears
to be growing. Working while in school is prevalent among older
high school students. (Contains 76 endnotes.) (KB)
Descriptors: Academic Achievement; Adolescents; Asthma; Births
to Single Women; Child Abuse; *Child Health; Child Neglect; *Children;
Early Childhood Education; Elementary Secondary Education; Employed
Parents; Family Literacy; Health Insurance; Housing Needs; Infant
Mortality; Limited English Speaking; Mortality Rate; National Surveys;
Out of School Youth; Poverty; Prenatal Care; Preschool Education;
*Social Indicators; *Socioeconomic Status; Substance Abuse; Tables
(Data); Victims of Crime; Violence; *Well Being; Youth Employment
Identifiers: *Indicators; *United States; Vaccination
