Wednesday, July 25, 2007

State 40th in Kids Count rating

Up two slots, but standing in 5 key areas worsen

Kentucky moved up two notches in the 2007 Kids Count, a national ranking of child well-being released each year by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

But its rating of 40th among 50 states is nothing to be proud of -- in part because the state's standing in five key areas worsened, advocates said yesterday.
"We don't take any joy in the fact that we're 40th," said Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates...

...Kentucky declined in measurements of five of the 10 areas the national survey uses to check children's health and success. The 2007 survey compares 2005 data to the previous year.
Kentucky's percentage of low-birth weight babies increased by 7 percent, which contributes to poor infant health and developmental problems. Kentucky has the highest rate of smoking by pregnant women in the country, considered a factor in low-birth weight.

This from the Courier-Journal.

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