A survey of child health and welfare released today showed a mixed bag of results for Alaska families. The Kids Count survey is sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and is released annually based on prior-year information.
Alaska scored well nationally in areas of child poverty (6th) and high school dropout rate (13th,) but poorly in percentage of children in single-parent families (38th), and children in families with neither parent working (47th).
The survey covered the following areas of child health:
- Percent low-birthweight babies
- Infant mortality rate (deaths per 1,000 live births)
- Child death rate (deaths per 100,000 children ages 1-14)
- Rate of teen deaths by accident, homicide, and suicide (deaths per 100,000 teens ages 15-19)
- Teen birth rate (births per 1,000 females ages 15-17)
- Percent of teens who are high school dropouts (ages 16-19)
- Percent of teens not attending school and not working (ages 16-19)
- Percent of children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment
- Percent of children in poverty (data reflect poverty in the previous year)
- Percent of families with children headed by a single parent
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