| ■ U.S. Report on Kids' Health Brings Mixed Results | 2010.07.09 |
| FRIDAY, July 9 (HealthDay News) -- In an annual report gauging the health and well-being of America's children, a group of 22 federal agencies reports progress in some areas, preterm births and teen pregnancies in particular, but bad news in other areas, like the number of teens living in poverty. "This report is a status update on how our nation's children are faring, and it represents large segments of the population," Dr. Alan E. Guttmacher, acting director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said during a press conference. The report, titled America's Children In Brief: Key Indicators of Well-Being, 2010, was released July 9. According to the report, in 2009 there were 74.5 million people under 18 years of age living in the United States. That number is up 2 million since 2000. Seventy percent of those children lived in households with two parents, while 26 percent lived with just one parent. Four percent of the nation's children live without either parent. One of the most positive findings from the study was a drop in the rate of preterm births. |