Name of Report: 2004 Rhode Island Kids Count Factbook (Health Indicators)
Organizational Affiliation: Rhode Island KIDS COUNT
Author: Rhode Island KIDS COUNT
Contact Information: Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, One Union Station, Providence , RI 02903 401-351-9400 (phone); 401-351-1758 (fax); rikids@rikidscount.org (email); www.rikidscount.org (website)
Date: 2004
Pages: 144
Content Summary
The 2004 Rhode Island Kids Count Factbook provides statistical data on the status of children in cities and towns across the state of Rhode Island , and is an important resource for community leaders and policy makers. This tenth annual work also includes an aggregate profile based on the data from six core cities ( Providence , Pawtucket , Woonsocket , Newport , Central Falls , and West Warwick ) in which more than fifteen percent of children are impoverished. Using the most current available data, the 2004 Rhode Island Kids Count Factbook presents 54 indicators in the areas of Family and Community, Economic Well-Being, Health, Safety and Education.
Major Findings
The findings presented here reflect information from the 15 indicators in the Health section of the 2004 Rhode Island Kids Count Factbook. All data is specific to the state of Rhode Island , unless otherwise mentioned. The Factbook also includes additional data on Rhode Island ’s 39 cities and towns.
Children’s Health Insurance
- Rhode Island has the lowest rate of uninsured children in the country; it has been reduced by 60% since 1995.
Child Immunizations
- Rhode Island is one of the only few states that purchases all vaccines for children and distributes them to providers. Immunization rates increased by 44% between 1995 and 2002.
- Despite improvements in overall vaccination rates, racial and ethnic disparities exist nationally, with Asian children having the highest rates of full immunization, followed by Whites, Hispanics, and Blacks.
- Impoverished children had a higher vaccination rate statewide than children at or above the poverty level. Nationally, children living in families with incomes below the federal poverty level have a lower vaccination rate that the general population.
Access to Dental Care
- Minority families, low-income families, and families with low education levels are most likely to be uninsured for dental care.
- Impoverished children and minority children have the greatest extend of untreated dental problems.
- Nationally, Black and Hispanic children have a higher rate of untreated dental caries than White children.
- The state has increased efforts to encourage dentists to accept patients with Medicaid coverage.
Children’s Mental Health
- External risk factors for developing a mental disorder include poverty, deprivation, and other stressful family situation, including child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, substance abuse in the family and/or exposure to traumatic events. Children with prenatal damage due to low birth weight and exposure to alcohol and drugs are at a higher risk of developing a mental disorder.
- Mental health systems must move towards prevention and away from crisis-driven treatment. Mental health problems from psychosocial or biological causes are increasingly treatable.
Children with Special Needs
- Services and equipment required by children with special needs are often a financial burden for families of all income levels.
- Needs vary based on population based on population differences such as family income, race, ethnicity, primary language, and parents’ educational level.
Women and Children Receiving WIC
- WIC is not well funded enough to provide services for all eligible women, children and infants.
- Children in the WIC program are becoming increasingly overweight, despite the program’s goal of improving nutrition and healthy eating.
Breastfeeding
- Breastfeeding rates for Blacks and Asians are significantly lower than the rates for other racial and ethnic groups.
- Black women have the lowest breastfeeding rates, statewide and nationally. The most significant obstacle to continued breastfeeding is a need to return to work.
- Nationally, the highest rates of breastfeeding occur among women who are White or Hispanic, over 30 years old, higher-income and college-educated.
Women with Delayed Prenatal Care
- Early prenatal care is especially important for women who face multiple risks for poor birth outcomes
Low Birthweight Infants
- Increased risk of low birthweight is strongly associated with poverty, maternal smoking, and low levels of educational attainment.
- Black women are twice as likely to have a low birthweight infant that White women, and the rate is higher than any other racial or ethnic group.
- At nearly all educational levels, socio-economic levels and age categories, Black women are more likely to have a pre-term delivery and low birthweight infant.
- These disparities are not entirely explained by differences in income and health behaviors.
- Causes of preterm delivery are not well understood.
Infant Mortality
- Communities with multiple problems, such as poverty, unemployment and illiteracy, tend to have higher infant mortality rates.
- Infant mortality rates for all racial and ethnic groups except White infants have been gradually rising since 1995. The Black infant mortality rate is twice the rate for White infants.
Children with Lead Poisoning
- Low-income children and minority children are most likely to be affected by lead poisoning, due to a lack of newer and affordable housing; inadequate nutrition; and anemia.
- Children living in core cities are more than twice more likely to have elevated blood lead levels than the general population.
- In 2002, the state legislature passed the Lead Hazard Mitigation Act, which enforces lead safety in housing and increases tenants’ rights.
Children with Asthma
- Black children are more likely to suffer from asthma than White, non-Hispanic or Hispanic children due to associations between the prevalence of asthma and poverty levels, urban air quality, indoor allergens, and adequate medical care.
Births to Teens
- Between the late 1980s and the late 1990s, teen birth rates declined for all racial and ethnic groups except Asians, which increased by 5%. The rate for Blacks decreased the most, followed by Hispanics, then Whites.
- Teen birth rates remain highest among Hispanics, followed by Blacks, Asians, and Whites.
Alcohol, Drug, and Cigarette Use by Teens
- Key risk periods for substance abuse are during major transitions in children’s lives. The relationship between risk factors and protective factors, which vary by age, gender, and race/ethnicity, determine the risk of substance abuse.
Additional Children’s Health Issues
- More information is need on health risks and risk behavior among adolescents, teen dating violence, and access to health care in school.
Related Issues
The section on children’ mental health emphasizes the importance of preventive programs instead of crisis-driven programs in the mental health system. A 2003 report by Alegria et al., describes how public policies directed at elimination gaps in social conditions between minorities and Whites can reduce mental health disparities.
Reference List
Alegria, M., D. Perex, and S. Williams. “The Role of Public Policies in Reducing Mental Health Status Dispartieis for People of Color.” Health Affairs 22.5 (2003): 51-64.
How to Access Report
http://www.rikidscount.org/