Preterm births, births to teenage mothers, and injury-related deaths to teenagers in the United States have declined, but the number of children with asthma is steadily rising, according to federal data released July 6.
"I am particularly encouraged by changes in two of the indicators in this year’s report," Dr. Alan E. Guttmacher, director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said in a telebriefing.
"The rate of preterm birth has declined for the third year in a row," Dr. Guttmacher said. The preterm birth rate in the United States reached a high of 12.8% in 2006; in 2009, it dropped to 12.2%. "The change is especially welcome," given the increased risk for early death and developmental problems in preterm infants, he said, adding that, while the reasons for the improvement are unclear, research is ongoing.
"We are also encouraged by the decline in the adolescent birth rate," said Dr. Guttmacher. In 2009, the rate was 20.1 per 1,000 girls aged 15-17 years, down from 22.1 per 1,000 in 2006.
"We feel this annual report is an important tool for monitoring the well-being of our nation’s children," said Edward Sondik, Ph.D., director of the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Injury-related death, the leading cause of deaths among adolescents aged 15-19 years, dropped by 10% – from 44 per 100,000 in 2008 to 39 per 100,000 in 2009. "One of the major reasons for this decline was a decline in motor vehicle accidents," Dr. Sondik said.
Binge drinking, however, remains a concern. Although the number of 12th graders who reported binge drinking – defined as five or more alcoholic beverages in a row or during a single occasion within the past 2 weeks – declined from 25% in 2009 to 23% in 2010, there was no significant change in the percent of 8th and 10th graders who reported binge drinking, Dr. Sondik said.
In addition, although the percentage of children aged 0-17 years living in areas with above-allowable levels of at least one air pollutant declined from 69% in 2008 to 59% in 2009, the percentage of children with asthma was not significantly different, and data show a steady rise in asthma rates between 2001 and 2009, according to the report.
"In some ways, I think the take-home message is that childhood is a dynamic phenomenon," Dr. Guttmacher said.
Long-term trends over time suggest that a pediatrician’s focus has shifted from treating infectious diseases to treating injuries, he said.
Dr. Guttmacher noted, however, that immunization rates fell from the previous year. "That certainly bears attention, since immunization in children is hugely important to their well-being," he said.
Dr. Sondik said that children’s health care providers can find insight in many sections of the report, including behavioral data on smoking, drinking, and drug use, as well as family data. For example, when compared with all children, adopted children were more likely to be read to every day, but they were also more likely than children overall to have moderate to severe health problems (29% vs. 12%), he said.
"America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2011" is a compendium of federal statistics on the health of children and youth, with data from multiple federal agencies. The report includes 41 indicators of child well-being in areas including physical environment and safety, behavior, education, and health. The statistics reflect year-to-year changes and longer-term trends.
Selected findings from the report were presented at the telebriefing. The full report will be available July 8 at http://childstats.gov.