In 2009, 10.1 million children and youth in the United States had been diagnosed with asthma at some point in their life. Asthma is the third-ranking cause of hospitalization among those younger than 15 years of age and one the leading causes of school absenteeism. As discussed in an earlier blog post, the current number and rate of Kentucky children experiencing inpatient hospitalizations due to asthma are lower than a decade ago. Source: American Lung [...]

Children fare best when they have a healthy start in life, and this opportunity begins during pregnancy. But many healthy starts are compromised in Kentucky due to mothers smoking during pregnancy. During the 2007-2009 period, 25 percent of all births were to mothers who smoked at some point during pregnancy. Kentucky’s rate of smoking during pregnancy – the highest in the nation – is particularly troubling given the serious consequences on children’s health. The U.S. [...]

The 2011 County Data Book, released today by Kentucky Youth Advocates finds that Kentucky has made progress in ensuring low-income children receive dental services, yet much work remains to improve children’s oral health in the state. This is the 21st annual release of the County Data Book, part of the Kentucky KIDS COUNT project. The KIDS COUNT project monitors progress for Kentucky’s one million children on over 100 measures of child well-being, including health, safety, [...]