By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
Kentucky continues to make progress in expanding the number of children with health insurance, having fewer low-birthweight babies, and lowering rates of teen pregnancy and smoking during pregnancy, but it has high rates of children living in out-of-home care because of abuse or neglect, according to the annual Kentucky Kids Count report. It shows those rates vary widely by county.
The report, released Tuesday by Kentucky Youth Advocates and the Kentucky State Data Center at the University of Louisville, is part of the 28th annual release of the County Data Book, which provides data on overall child well-being through 17 measures in four areas: economic security, education, community strengths, and health and family. Nearly one in four Kentuckians are children.
A bright spot in the report is that fewer Kentucky women are smoking during pregnancy.
Statewide, the report found that rates of smoking during pregnancy dropped to 18.1 percent in 2014-16, from 21.3 percent in 2009-11, with 110 of the state's 120 counties showing improvement.
"Tobacco addiction is so difficult to break, but this report is proof positive that women all over Kentucky are finding a way to protect their babies from the dangers of smoking while pregnant," Ben Chandler, president and CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, said in a news release. "They're reducing the risk that their babies will be born with birth defects or die suddenly without explanation during infancy. And they're increasing the chances their babies will be born full-term and at a healthy weight."
Seventy-three counties saw a reduction in low-birthweight babies. Statewide, this rate dropped to 8.8 percent in 2014-16, from 9 percent in 2009-11.
But amid the good news, there is bad news. Since 2009-11, 45 counties have seen an increase in their percentage of low-birthweight babies. Ten counties saw higher rates of women smoking during pregnancy, including: Allen (23.9 percent in 2014-16), Carroll (28.3), Clinton (28.8), Estill (33), Fulton (23.7), Graves (17.7), Henderson (21.2), Lewis (30.9), Magoffin (31.9) and Wayne (28.1).
And while smoking during pregnancy declined in Lee and Owsley counties, more than 40 percent of expectant mothers in those counties smoked in 2014-16 -- and 22 counties had smoking-during-pregnancy rates of 30 percent or higher.
The state's teen-pregnancy rate continues to drop. It declined to 31.7 teen births per 1,000 females aged 15-19 in 2014-16, down almost a third from 45.9 per 1,000 five years earlier. Kentucky's rate still remains about half again as high as the national rate, 20.3 teen births per 1,000.
Differences between counties remained great, ranging from a low of 7.9 teen births per 1,000 in Oldham County to a high of 79.5 teen births per 1,000 in Elliott County. And while 108 counties saw a drop in their teen-birth rates, several of the remaining 12 had large increases, including: Lawrence County by 14 points, to 52.4 per 1,000; Lee County, up 10 points to 49.6 per 1,000; and Menifee County, up by 12, to 59.6 per 1,000.
Other key findings about Kentucky's children in the report:
The Kids Count Data Center is also available for a deeper dive into the data. It offers a profile sheet for every county that shows rankings and can be used to create maps and charts for comparisons.
KYA will hold "Kids Count Conversations" in Paducah, Glasgow, Louisville, Manchester and Covington to help community leaders use local data to inform policy that impacts their youth. E-mail KYA at kidscount@kyyouth.org if you would like to have such a conversation in your community.
The 2018 County Data Book was made possible with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and local sponsors Passport Health Plan, Delta Dental of Kentucky and Kosair Charities.
Kentucky Health News
Kentucky continues to make progress in expanding the number of children with health insurance, having fewer low-birthweight babies, and lowering rates of teen pregnancy and smoking during pregnancy, but it has high rates of children living in out-of-home care because of abuse or neglect, according to the annual Kentucky Kids Count report. It shows those rates vary widely by county.
The report, released Tuesday by Kentucky Youth Advocates and the Kentucky State Data Center at the University of Louisville, is part of the 28th annual release of the County Data Book, which provides data on overall child well-being through 17 measures in four areas: economic security, education, community strengths, and health and family. Nearly one in four Kentuckians are children.
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| Kids Count Data Center map of births to mothers who smoked during pregnancy, 2014-16. |
Statewide, the report found that rates of smoking during pregnancy dropped to 18.1 percent in 2014-16, from 21.3 percent in 2009-11, with 110 of the state's 120 counties showing improvement.
"Tobacco addiction is so difficult to break, but this report is proof positive that women all over Kentucky are finding a way to protect their babies from the dangers of smoking while pregnant," Ben Chandler, president and CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, said in a news release. "They're reducing the risk that their babies will be born with birth defects or die suddenly without explanation during infancy. And they're increasing the chances their babies will be born full-term and at a healthy weight."
Seventy-three counties saw a reduction in low-birthweight babies. Statewide, this rate dropped to 8.8 percent in 2014-16, from 9 percent in 2009-11.
But amid the good news, there is bad news. Since 2009-11, 45 counties have seen an increase in their percentage of low-birthweight babies. Ten counties saw higher rates of women smoking during pregnancy, including: Allen (23.9 percent in 2014-16), Carroll (28.3), Clinton (28.8), Estill (33), Fulton (23.7), Graves (17.7), Henderson (21.2), Lewis (30.9), Magoffin (31.9) and Wayne (28.1).
And while smoking during pregnancy declined in Lee and Owsley counties, more than 40 percent of expectant mothers in those counties smoked in 2014-16 -- and 22 counties had smoking-during-pregnancy rates of 30 percent or higher.
The state's teen-pregnancy rate continues to drop. It declined to 31.7 teen births per 1,000 females aged 15-19 in 2014-16, down almost a third from 45.9 per 1,000 five years earlier. Kentucky's rate still remains about half again as high as the national rate, 20.3 teen births per 1,000.
Differences between counties remained great, ranging from a low of 7.9 teen births per 1,000 in Oldham County to a high of 79.5 teen births per 1,000 in Elliott County. And while 108 counties saw a drop in their teen-birth rates, several of the remaining 12 had large increases, including: Lawrence County by 14 points, to 52.4 per 1,000; Lee County, up 10 points to 49.6 per 1,000; and Menifee County, up by 12, to 59.6 per 1,000.
Other key findings about Kentucky's children in the report:
- Nearly 97 percent of Kentucky's children have health insurance, and all 120 counties showed improvement.
- One in four Kentucky children live in poverty, defined as annual household income of $24,339 or less for a family of four. The good news is that this rate decreased in 93 of the 120 counties.
- The rate of children in out-of-home care increased in 92 counties, "fueled by parents struggling with addiction." Elliott County had the highest rate, with 118.2 in out-of-home care per 1,000 children aged 10-17. The state rate is 43.7 per 1,000.
- The number of children being raised by a relative has increased by 75 percent, from 55,000 in 2012-14 to 96,000 in 2016-18.
- 119 of 167 school districts saw an increase in the rate of students graduating on time; graduation rates declined in 46 districts. About 90 percent of Kentucky's high-school students graduate on time.
This year's report also explores the issue of child abuse in Kentucky, noting that 20 of every 1,000 children in the state experienced abuse and neglect in 2016, more than twice the national average. As part of a five-page essay, titled "Putting a Plug in the Abuse to Prison Pipeline," the report calls for "collective engagement across systems" to tackle the issue.
“These pressing challenges call for smart policies, innovative solutions, and focused attention on our priorities,” Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of KYA, said in a news release. “The more we support all Kentucky children to grow up healthy, hopeful, and contributing to the community, the brighter our future looks.”
“These pressing challenges call for smart policies, innovative solutions, and focused attention on our priorities,” Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of KYA, said in a news release. “The more we support all Kentucky children to grow up healthy, hopeful, and contributing to the community, the brighter our future looks.”
The Kids Count Data Center is also available for a deeper dive into the data. It offers a profile sheet for every county that shows rankings and can be used to create maps and charts for comparisons.
KYA will hold "Kids Count Conversations" in Paducah, Glasgow, Louisville, Manchester and Covington to help community leaders use local data to inform policy that impacts their youth. E-mail KYA at kidscount@kyyouth.org if you would like to have such a conversation in your community.
The 2018 County Data Book was made possible with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and local sponsors Passport Health Plan, Delta Dental of Kentucky and Kosair Charities.
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