Report finds life is mostly good for American children
Washington-AP -- All-in-all, being a kid in America is a pretty good thing. An annual study being released today finds life for some 72 (m) million children in the U-S has gotten better on a number of fronts -- improved education, for example. More are covered by health insurance. Fewer teens are getting hooked on smoking and fewer are having babies..
The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics looks at such factors as health, economics and education. It says the biggest concern is that more babies are being born dangerously little but more are getting fat as they grow up. One member of the panel notes that teen pregnancy and gun violence both fell after intense public attention, and he hopes the same thing will happen with obesity.
At least 15 percent of kids six to 18 are overweight. And the study says black girls and Mexican-American boys are at particularly high risk.
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