Ask the Pediatrician: Kids health in MA

Q: The annual August report on the well-being of American children by the Annie E. Casey Foundation is out. How are we doing when it comes to the health of our children?

A: In the medical field in general, we try to find ways to improve our children’s health and compare results, so there are lots of indicators in pediatrics that physicians and health educators keep their eyes on. One of the best known is the Kids Count data set of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, released every summer, which compares the 50 states for ten child health indicators. This year’s data covers 2009 and 2010. New England states have generally done well over the years, with some in the top 10 nationally and the rest above average. This year three New England states are in the Top Ten, with New Hampshire #1 and Massachusetts #2 - up from #3 last year.

Q: So what is Massachusetts good at in this year’s report?

A: We looked particularly good for infants and teens. We had one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the country for 2009. This means that babies were less likely to die of all causes in their first year. With teens, the numbers seem more related to our schools’ ability to keep teens from dropping out, and our economy’s ability to get them employed if they do. The teen death rate – a very sad number to think about- represents the lowest death rates from accidents, suicide, and homicide. Multiple factors influence these numbers, but our rate is less than half the rate of some of the highest states, like Arkansas, Louisiana, and Alaska.

Q: Where do we need to improve?

A: The most stubborn problem seems to be the rate of low birth weight babies. Massachusetts improved, but only from #19 to #18. Low birth weight has an influence on almost everything that happens to a baby regardless of access to good care. We are gradually heading to a below average rate if the nation continues to worsen more slowly than we do. I recommend that this report be widely read by anyone who thinks about the well being of our next generation. We are doing many things well in New England, but we still have lots of room for improvement.

Helpful Link: The annual report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation
http://www.aecf.org/