The state of children’s health needs a turnaround

Healthy Child Healthy World
Last Updated: Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Few of the warning flags indicate the necessity for major change in child care.

Cancer is still the leading cause of death by disease in children. (National Cancer Institute) Incidence rates for 0-19 year-olds is 1.6 cases of cancer per 10,000 children. (CDC)

A poor diet and lack of exercise have contributed to an epidemic in childhood obesity. (National Institutes of Health) One in six children in the U.S. between the ages of six and 19 are considered overweight. (CDC)

One in every 400 to 500 American children has diabetes. Type 2 diabetes, once known as adult-onset diabetes, is increasing among children. (CDC’s Diabetes Program)

Asthma is a leading chronic disease among American children and is one of the leading causes of school absenteeism. (CDC)

About one out of every six children has a developmental disability, including speech and language disorders, learning disabilities, and ADHD. (CDC)

Approximately 1 in 150 American children has an autism spectrum disorder. (CDC)

One out of eight babies is born premature. The rate of premature births increased nearly 31 percent between 1981 and 2003, which means today there are nearly 500,000
premature births a year in America. (March of Dimes)

The third most common chronic disease in childhood is arthritis. (Dr. Yukiko Kimura, Hackensack University Medical Center)

Annually, approximately 34% of American children under 18 suffer from allergies, with 12% suffering from respiratory allergies, 9% from hay fever, and 13% from other allergies. (CDC)

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