Background: School-based body mass index (BMI) measurement has attracted much attention across the nation from researchers, school officials, legislators, and the media as a potential approach to address obesity among youth. Methods: An expert panel, convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2005, reviewed and provided…

Background: To comprehensively address the childhood and adolescent obesity epidemic, Arkansas enacted Act 1220 of 2003. Among a series of community- and school-based interventions, the Act requires each public school student to have his/her body mass index (BMI) assessed and reported annually to parents. The process of implementing this policy on…

This Kids Count special report examines the relationship between poverty status and the number of children in Arkansas lacking health insurance. The report also presents information on two programs providing health care to Arkansas children whose parents lack insurance coverage, Medicaid and ARKids First. The report describes how these two…

National surveys that have tracked weight and physical activity in the United States for more than 40 years have shown a continuing increase in the number of overweight children and adolescents. Overweight children and adolescents are showing an increase in diseases related to overweight: Type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and…

This Kids Count report is the third to examine the well-being of Arkansas' children and the first to provide trend information. The statistical report is based on 10 core indicators of well-being: (1) unemployment rate and per capita personal income; (2) federal and state assistance program participation rates; (3) percent of high school students…

This Kids Count data book is the fourth to examine the well-being of Arkansas' children and notes trends from 1990 to 1995. The report's introductory sections include discussions of the potential impact of welfare reform on Arkansas' children, and present figures detailing the number of children affected by particular risk factors each week. The…

This Kids Count data book is the first to examine the status of children in Arkansas as measured by demographic, socioeconomic, educational, health, and safety indicators. The statistical report is based on 17 indicators of well-being: (1) percent of children in married-couple families; (2) child poverty rate; (3) percent of all births to single…

This Kids Count data book provides information on indicators of the well-being of Arkansas' children. The report's introduction discusses factors contributing to increased attention to children and families, the need for broad-based community collaborations to address children and family needs, and cultural changes influencing families. Data…

This Kids Count data book is the second to examine the status of children in Arkansas as measured by demographic, socioeconomic, educational, health, and safety indicators. The statistical report is based on 16 indicators of well-being: (1) percent children in married-couple families; (2) percent teen mothers with no first trimester prenatal care;…

This Kids Count report details statewide trends in the well-being of Arkansas' children. The report's introduction discusses factors contributing to the need for increased attention to children and families, what voters think about issues affecting children and families, the collection of data, and federal spending in Arkansas. The subsequent…

This Kids Count data book examines statewide trends in the well-being of Arkansas children. The statistical portrait is based on the following areas of childrens well-being: demographics; childrens living situations; family support; risks to children; resources for children; and public school environment. The specific indicators include: (1) child…