Parents' health and children's health are closely intertwined--healthier parents have healthier children, and vice versa. Genetics accounts for some of this relationship, but much of it can be traced to environment and behavior, and the environmental and behavioral risk factors for poor health disproportionately affect families living in…

The 2000 Census reported that more than 7 million black residents five years and older (almost 24 percent of black persons, compared to 19 percent of the total population) had one or more disabilities. Black and Native American residents share the highest overall estimated disability rate. Based upon the data from the 2000 Census among black…

While data sources exist to measure and monitor the health of children in the United States, few take into account the many contexts in which children grow and develop, including their family and community environments. The National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH), conducted in 2007, addresses multiple aspects of children's health and…

Children in foster care face poverty, family dysfunction, neglect, and abuse, with high rates of chronic health, emotional, and developmental problems. This study compared the overall health status of a group of children entering foster care with a group of Medicaid-eligible children living with their parents, matched for age and gender. It…

Infants under age 1 constituted the most deaths recorded for any age group among Native people on the Yakama Indian Reservation (Washington), between 1914 and 1964. Poverty conditions, including poor diet and unsanitary housing; social anomie; and lack of adequate health care contributed to infant deaths. Data tables and figures detail infant…

A clinical progress report is presented concerning how the infants and children of Harlem (New York City) have endured the past six years. Crack abuse, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, social disorganization, and violence have been added to the traditional concomitants of poverty. Proposals are made for improvement. (SLD)

The impact of family situations on the health of children is examined along the dimensions of (1) the growing povertization of parents who are of color; (2) health risks for children in poverty; and (3) consequences of placement in the foster care system. (SLD)

This report presents data on the current status of adolescent health. Many of the measures of health status are shown by single year of age or by 2- or 3-year age intervals to highlight the changes that occur in health status as adolescents move through this important developmental period. Summary measures combining 5- or 10-year age groups (the…

Examined health and social factors associated with early grade retention. Factors found to be independently associated with increased risk of grade retention were: (1) poverty, (2) male gender, (3) low maternal education, (4) deafness, (5) speech defects, (6) low birth weight, (7) enuresis, and (8) exposure to household smoking. (HTH)

This report presents statistics from the 1999 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) on selected health measures for children under 18 years of age, classified by sex, age, race/ethnicity, family structure, parent education, family income, poverty status, health insurance coverage, place of residence, region, and current health status. The NHIS…