Title : Study of Ky. kids' well-being finds less smoking in pregnancy, fewer low-birthweight babies and pregnant teens
link : Study of Ky. kids' well-being finds less smoking in pregnancy, fewer low-birthweight babies and pregnant teens
Study of Ky. kids' well-being finds less smoking in pregnancy, fewer low-birthweight babies and pregnant teens
By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
Kentucky continues to make progress in expanding the number of children with health insurance, having fewer low-birthweight babies, and lowering rates of teen pregnancy and smoking during pregnancy, but it has high rates of children living in out-of-home care because of abuse or neglect, according to the annual Kentucky Kids Count report. It shows those rates vary widely by county.
The report, released Tuesday by Kentucky Youth Advocates and The Kentucky State Data Center at the University of Louisville, is part of the 28th annual release of the County Data Book, which provides data on overall child well-being through 17 measures in four areas: economic security, education, community strengths, and health and family. Nearly one in four Kentuckians are children.
A bright spot in the report is that fewer Kentucky women are smoking during pregnancy.
Statewide, the report found that rates of smoking during pregnancy dropped to 18.1 percent between 2014-16 from 21.3 percent between 2009-11, with 110 of the state's 120 counties showing some level of improvement.
"Tobacco addiction is so difficult to break, but this report is proof positive that women all over Kentucky are finding a way to protect their babies from the dangers of smoking while pregnant," Ben Chandler, president and CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, said in a news release. "They're reducing the risk that their babies will be born with birth defects or die suddenly without explanation during infancy. And they're increasing the chances their babies will be born full-term and at a healthy weight."
In fact, 73 counties saw a reduction in low-birthweight babies. Statewide this rate dropped to 8.8 percent between 2014-16 from 9 percent between 2009-11.
But the news isn't all good for these measures. Since 2009-11, 45 counties saw an increase in their percentage of low-birthweight babies and 10 counties saw higher rates of women smoking during pregnancy, including: Allen (23.9 percent), Carroll (28.3), Clinton (28.8), Estill (33), Fulton (23.7), Graves (17.7), Henderson(21.2), Lewis (30.9), Magoffin (31.9) and Wayne (28.1).
Also of note, the most recent data found that more than 40 percent of mothers smoked during pregnancy in Lee and Owsley counties and 22 counties had rates of 30 percent or higher.
Other good news is that Kentucky's teen pregnancy rate continues to drop, to 31.7 teen births per 1,000 females between the ages of 15 and 19 between 2014-16 from 45.9 per 1,000 five years ago. Kentucky still remains higher than the national rate of 20.3 teen births per 1,000.
That said, the differences between counties remains great, ranging from a low of 7.9 teen births per 1,000 in Oldham County to a high of 79.5 teen births per 1,000 in Elliott County. And while all but 12 counties saw a drop in their teen births in the past five year, several of the 12 had large increases, including: Lawrence County by 14 to 52.4 teen births per 1,000, Lee County by 10 to 49.6 per 1,000 and Menifee County by 12 to 59.6 per 1,000.
Other key findings about Kentucky's children in the report:
The Kids Count Data Center is also available for a deeper dive into the data. It offers a profile sheet for every county that shows rankings, and allows you to create maps, graphs, and make comparisons.
In addition, KYA will be holding "Kids Count Conversations" in five cities this fall to help community leaders use local data to inform policy that impacts their youth. The forums will be held in Paducah, Glasgow, Louisville, Manchester and Covington. E-mail KYA at kidscount@kyyouth.org if you would like to have such a conversation in your community.
The 2018 County Data Book was made possible with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and local sponsors Passport Health Plan, Delta Dental of Kentucky and Kosair Charities.
Kentucky Health News
Kentucky continues to make progress in expanding the number of children with health insurance, having fewer low-birthweight babies, and lowering rates of teen pregnancy and smoking during pregnancy, but it has high rates of children living in out-of-home care because of abuse or neglect, according to the annual Kentucky Kids Count report. It shows those rates vary widely by county.
The report, released Tuesday by Kentucky Youth Advocates and The Kentucky State Data Center at the University of Louisville, is part of the 28th annual release of the County Data Book, which provides data on overall child well-being through 17 measures in four areas: economic security, education, community strengths, and health and family. Nearly one in four Kentuckians are children.
 |
| Kids Count Data Center map of births to mothers who smoked during pregnancy, 2014-16. |
Statewide, the report found that rates of smoking during pregnancy dropped to 18.1 percent between 2014-16 from 21.3 percent between 2009-11, with 110 of the state's 120 counties showing some level of improvement.
"Tobacco addiction is so difficult to break, but this report is proof positive that women all over Kentucky are finding a way to protect their babies from the dangers of smoking while pregnant," Ben Chandler, president and CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, said in a news release. "They're reducing the risk that their babies will be born with birth defects or die suddenly without explanation during infancy. And they're increasing the chances their babies will be born full-term and at a healthy weight."
In fact, 73 counties saw a reduction in low-birthweight babies. Statewide this rate dropped to 8.8 percent between 2014-16 from 9 percent between 2009-11.
But the news isn't all good for these measures. Since 2009-11, 45 counties saw an increase in their percentage of low-birthweight babies and 10 counties saw higher rates of women smoking during pregnancy, including: Allen (23.9 percent), Carroll (28.3), Clinton (28.8), Estill (33), Fulton (23.7), Graves (17.7), Henderson(21.2), Lewis (30.9), Magoffin (31.9) and Wayne (28.1).
Also of note, the most recent data found that more than 40 percent of mothers smoked during pregnancy in Lee and Owsley counties and 22 counties had rates of 30 percent or higher.
Other good news is that Kentucky's teen pregnancy rate continues to drop, to 31.7 teen births per 1,000 females between the ages of 15 and 19 between 2014-16 from 45.9 per 1,000 five years ago. Kentucky still remains higher than the national rate of 20.3 teen births per 1,000.
That said, the differences between counties remains great, ranging from a low of 7.9 teen births per 1,000 in Oldham County to a high of 79.5 teen births per 1,000 in Elliott County. And while all but 12 counties saw a drop in their teen births in the past five year, several of the 12 had large increases, including: Lawrence County by 14 to 52.4 teen births per 1,000, Lee County by 10 to 49.6 per 1,000 and Menifee County by 12 to 59.6 per 1,000.
Other key findings about Kentucky's children in the report:
- Nearly 97 percent of Kentucky's children have health insurance, and improvements were made in all 120 counties.
- One in four Kentucky children live in poverty, which means they live in homes with an annual income of $24,339 or less for a family of four. The good news is that this rate decreased in 93 of the state's 120 counties.
- The rate of children in out-of-home care increased in 92 counties, "fueled by parents struggling with addiction." Elliott County has the highest rate for this measure with 118.2 per 1,000 children ages 10-17 living in out-of-home care. The state rate is 43.7 per 1,000.
- The number of children being raised by a relative has increased by 75 percent, from 55,000 in 2012-14 to 96,000 in 2016-18.
- More children in about half of Kentucky's counties live in high poverty areas, where at least 20 percent of the residents are poor.
- 119 of 167 school districts saw an increase in the rate of high school students graduating on time; graduation rates worsened in 46 school districts. About 90 percent of Kentucky's high school students graduate on time.
This year's report also explores the issue of child abuse in Kentucky, noting that 20 our of every 1,000 children in the state experienced abuse and neglect in 2016, which is more than twice the national average. As part of a five-page essay, titled "Putting a Plug in the Abuse to Prison Pipeline," the report ultimately calls for "collective engagement across systems" to tackle this issue.
“These pressing challenges call for smart policies, innovative solutions, and focused attention on our priorities. The more we support all Kentucky children to grow up healthy, hopeful, and contributing to the community, the brighter our future looks,” Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of KYA, said in a news release.
“These pressing challenges call for smart policies, innovative solutions, and focused attention on our priorities. The more we support all Kentucky children to grow up healthy, hopeful, and contributing to the community, the brighter our future looks,” Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of KYA, said in a news release.
The Kids Count Data Center is also available for a deeper dive into the data. It offers a profile sheet for every county that shows rankings, and allows you to create maps, graphs, and make comparisons.
In addition, KYA will be holding "Kids Count Conversations" in five cities this fall to help community leaders use local data to inform policy that impacts their youth. The forums will be held in Paducah, Glasgow, Louisville, Manchester and Covington. E-mail KYA at kidscount@kyyouth.org if you would like to have such a conversation in your community.
The 2018 County Data Book was made possible with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and local sponsors Passport Health Plan, Delta Dental of Kentucky and Kosair Charities.
thus Article Study of Ky. kids' well-being finds less smoking in pregnancy, fewer low-birthweight babies and pregnant teens
that is all articles Study of Ky. kids' well-being finds less smoking in pregnancy, fewer low-birthweight babies and pregnant teensThis time, hopefully can provide benefits to all of you. Okay, see you in another article posting
.
You now read the article Study of Ky. kids' well-being finds less smoking in pregnancy, fewer low-birthweight babies and pregnant teens with the link address https://choosehealthys.blogspot.com/2018/11/study-of-ky-kids-well-being-finds-less.html
0 Response to "Study of Ky. kids' well-being finds less smoking in pregnancy, fewer low-birthweight babies and pregnant teens"
Post a Comment