Report shows our children need more
Published February 23, 2016
Editorial by Winston-Salem Journal, February 22, 2016.
An annual report card released last week by NC Child, a statewide children’s advocacy group, shows some improvement over the last year, but it still contains far too many poor grades. More study and homework is required.
The report, which tracks 40 areas of child health, is issued annually by the North Carolina Institute of Medicine and NC Child, and reports on such health concerns and risk factors as asthma, teen births, infant mortality and child deaths from a variety of causes.
Some areas show improvement and are cause for celebration. For instance, the report assigns a “B” for improvement in teen births (by which we mean a reduction), immunization rates and dental health.
But badly lagging areas get a “D,” including weight and physical activity, tobacco use and mental health, alcohol and substance abuse. These problem areas have grown worse over the last decade.
Some areas have shown no improvement or decline, such as the state infant death rate, which was improving, but halted that trajectory in 2010. This area received a “C.”
“North Carolina’s infant mortality rate has stopped improving after declining for most of the past 20 years, and in the last five years it has worsened for Hispanic and American Indian families,” Michelle Hughes, the executive director of NC Child, said in a press release.
The authors of the report highlighted the need to improve the health of children early in their lives, and also note the need to improve the health of their parents as an important strategy for addressing some of the most difficult health problems facing children.
“It’s a simple concept — you can’t separate the future of children from the realities of the families they grow up with,” Dr. Adam Zolotor, president and chief executive officer of the NCIOM, said in a press release. “Healthy children come from healthy families.”
A lot more work needs to be done to improve North Carolina’s children’s health. We should have an “A” in every category. For the good of these individuals and our state, we need everyone — legislators, educators, parents and average citizens — to come together.
