Federal report shows mixed results for child well-being

A new federal report on child well-being found that in 2007 more children in the U.S. are getting recommended vaccinations and are covered by insurance, although there was a slight uptick in the number of children living in poverty, and that is without considering the current recession (Source: “Overall Health of U.S. Children a Mixed Bag,” Dayton Daily News/HealthDay News, July 11, 2009).

Among the findings of the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics report, titled America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2009, were that:

• 89 percent (73.9 million children) had health insurance in 2007, up from 88 percent in 2006
• 18 percent of U.S. children lived in poverty, up from 17 percent the year before