A new federal report, "America’s Children: Key Indicators of Well-Being," issued by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, indicates that children in the United States are doing better in recent years in such aspects of life as family and social environment. It provides a comprehensive look at a child’s well-being by taking into account family structure, economic security, health status, access to health care, behavior, social environment and education.

According to Duane Alexander, M.D., Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (part of the National Institutes of Health), "infant, childhood, and adolescent death rates are down, as are teen smoking, teen crime, and teen birth rates" The report also states that violence and violent crime victimization among youth are declining. In addition, economic disparities in children’s lives have also decreased, while the percentage of children in families living in poverty who have received the combined series of vaccines has in fact increased between 1996 and 1997.

Though many areas are showing improvement, significant disparities still exist. The report states, "there has been little change in the percentage of children living in poverty, about 19 percent, roughly the same as it was in 1980." As volumes of research in this area have shown, children living in poverty, compared to children who live above the poverty level, are more likely to be at risk for childhood disease, inadequate nutrition, and difficulties in school.

Copies of the Forum report may be obtained either via Internet at http://childstats.gov or through the mail at the National Maternal and Child Health Clearinghouse, 2070 Chain Bridge Road, Suite 450, Vienna CA 22182; telephone 703-356-1964.