Children in North America Share Critical Health Problems, Report Finds
Children in the United States, Canada, and Mexico share a number of health problems, including increasing rates of obesity, respiratory illness, and exposure to chemicals, a new report sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation finds.
The report, Growing Up in North America: Child Health and Safety in Canada, the United States, and Mexico (64 pages, PDF), examined fifty-eight health and safety indicators and found surprising similarities across the continent on several measures, as well as significant gaps in the knowledge and data regarding how well the 120 million children in North America are actually doing.
For instance, more than a quarter of children in each country are obese, and obesity rates are rising. At the same time, a large number of children continue to live with hunger, malnutrition, and anemia. In addition, some regions of North America have shown a fourfold increase in the prevalence of asthma over the past twenty years, with the problem particularly pronounced along the U.S.-Mexico border. And continued exposure to lead, which can lead to developmental problems such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and mental retardation, remains a concern.
Growing Up in North America is the second in a series of reports sponsored by the Casey Foundation, which is working with the Canadian Council on Social Development and the Children's Rights Network (Red por los Derechos de la Infancia) in Mexico to obtain information and widen the scope of trilateral discussions at the governmental level to include children. The report is available in English, French, and Spanish.
"Good health is critical for children to reach their fullest potential," said Dr. William O'Hare, senior fellow at the Casey Foundation. "There are surprising similarities in the health challenges in each of the three countries examined in this report. [And] we are clearly seeing that increasing social and economic integration across the three countries means children are more likely to share the same issues and problems."
“New Child Health and Safety Report Finds That Canada, United States, and Mexico Share Critical Health Problems.” Annie E. Casey Foundation Press Release 5/24/07.
Primary Subject: Health
Secondary Subject(s): Children and Youth, Hispanics/Latinos
Location(s): Canada, International, Mexico, National
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