Child Health Facts & Statistics

From the flu to allergies to other health conditions, your child's health is no doubt of great importance to you. Here's the facts & statistics behind some of the more prominent concerns regarding child health:

1. Roughly 100 children die each year from the flu. An additional 20,000 are hospitalized from it.

2. Around 6.8 million children in the U.S. under 18 have asthma. It is the 3'rd leading cause of hospitalization for kids under 15, resulting in around 700,000 E.R. visits for that age group each year.

3. Nearly 3 million children under the age of six breathe secondhand smoke at home in the U.S., which research has shown to be potentially even more dangerous than firsthand smoke.

4. A number of children are living in areas of the United States in which levels of air pollutant's exceed allowable EPA levels. The percentage of children exposed by type of pollutant: 1) Ozone: 52.55% 2) Particulate matter: 12.63% 3) High particulate matter: 8.72% 4) Carbon monoxide: 0.49% 5) Lead: 0.07%

5. About 9,500 kids are hospitalized each year due to food allergies.

6. Around 8% of children overall have food allergies, yet around 25% of parents think their child has a food allergy.

7. Around 7,000 children under the age of 12 are sent to the ER each year from taking cold medicines, most ages 2 to 5. Two-thirds of them took the medicine without an adult knowing. To throw salt in the wound, the FDA has found these medications to be completely inneffective in children, so there's no reason to even have them in the house to begin with.

8. Too much soda and acidic juices is leading to increased dental erosion in children. As many as 30% of kids have problems with dental erosion.

9. The number of obese kids has skyrocketed since the 1970s, from under 5% back then to around 20% today. Rates continue to rise, and even more kids are overweight but not obese. The consequences of childhood obesity go well beyond health effects ... it can take a psychological toll, easily equaling or exceeding the harm inflicted by traditional forms of abuse or neglect.

References:
1. CDC reports; Steve Sternberg, "The CDC goes viral to stop the spread of influenza," USA Today, 9-29-08, p. 7D
2. American Lung Association
3. CDC reports; Liz Szabo, "Pregnancy can motivate smokers to kick the habit," USA Today, 7-28-08, p. 5D
4. childstats.gove; Science News, "Science stats: Unacceptable exposure," Vol. 174(8):4, Oct. 11,2008
5. 2007 report from the National Center for Health Statistics, division of CDC
6. David Fleisher, National Jewish Medical & Research Center/Denver
7. FDA Panel on Children's 60ld Products, 2007; TCF, link up article
8. Bennett Amaechi, dental researcher & spokesman for the Academy of General Dentistry
9. U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention; Global Children's Fund (2009) Child Maltreatment: A Cross-Comparison, www.keepyourchildsafe.org

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