Hawai‘i now ranks first in the country for lowest rates of high school dropouts and teen deaths, according to the 18th annual report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The state improved to 11th in the nation overall for child
Hawai‘i now ranks first in the country for lowest rates of high school dropouts and teen deaths, according to the 18th annual report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
The state improved to 11th in the nation overall for child well-being, up from 21st last year.
The 2007 Kids County Data Book, a national and state-by-state report that includes information and statistical trends on the conditions of America’s children and families, will be released today with full details and an essay on foster care.
Overall, Hawai‘i has improved on six of the 10 measures, experienced setbacks on three measures and saw no change on one measure since 2000, states a University of Hawai‘i at Manoa press release.
Hawai‘i Kids Count, which strives to improve the well-being of the state’s children and families by raising public awareness of their condition, is part of the university’s Center on the Family.
The study shows that Hawai‘i has the lowest death rate of teens ages 15 to 19, at 40 deaths per 100,000 teens. Nationally, the teen death rate is 66 deaths per 100,000 teens.
Hawai‘i’s child death rate, however, increased significantly, the report states.
The rate of death for children ages 1 to 14 in the state rose 40 percent from 15 deaths per 100,000 children to 21 deaths per 100,000 children between 2000 and 2004.
Nationally, this rate showed a trend of improvement from 22 deaths per 100,000 children to 20 deaths per 100,000 children over the same time period, the news release states.
Hawai‘i now ranks eighth nationally in the percentage of children in poverty (at 13 percent) and in single-parent families (at 27 percent).
For more information, visit www.uhfamily.hawaii.edu or www.kidscount.org.
• Nathan Eagle, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or neagle@kauaipubco.com.
More info:
• 27% of Hawai‘i’s children live in single-parent families, compared to 32% nationally.
• 94% of Hawai‘i’s children have health insurance, compared to 89% nationally.
• 92% of Hawai‘i’s adults have health insurance, compared to 86% nationally.
• Hawai‘i’s violent crime rate is 260 per 100,000 residents, compared to 466 per 100,000 residents nationally.
Source: Hawai‘i Kids Count Online Data Book
