Idaho ranks 34th in the nation in kids' health

Families with higher incomes have healthier kids than those who live in poverty.

BY COLLEEN LAMAY - clamay@idahostatesman.com

Published: 10/10/08


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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

OTHER IDAHO HIGHLIGHTS OF STUDY

About two-fifths of Idaho children live in poor or near-poor households, two-fifths of kids live in middle-income households, and one fifth live in higher income households.

About one-third of children live in households where no one has an education beyond high school, two fifths live with at least one person who has attended but not finished college and nearly one-third live with at least one college graduate.

Idaho has a bigger gap than most states between the health of poor kids and the health of richer kids, according to a study released today.

"Children's health is the foundation for health throughout life, and measures of child health are important indicators of the overall health of our nation," according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which conducted the study.

Idaho comes in 34th in the nation, with 25 percent of kids who live in poverty who are not as healthy as they could be. In families with higher incomes, the rate was just 4.5 percent.

Idaho fared better in a second measure of children's health that compared infant deaths with the education level of mothers. Idaho came in 6th on that measure. That portion of the study compared moms with less than a high school education with moms who had at least 16 years of education.

The study defined poor as living below the federal poverty level, which was an annual income of $21,200 for a family of four this year.

The study defined more affluent families as those with annual incomes at least 400 percent above the poverty level, or $84,800 for a family of four.

Families with higher incomes are more likely to have:

At least one parent who exercises.

Better nutrition and better housing in safe neighborhoods with access to recreational opportunities.

Child care, health insurance and transportation.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is an independent philanthropic organization that studies health policy and practice.

Colleen LaMay: 377-6448

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