Introduction
Children who do not have a healthy start of life are likely to fall behind and have challenges in competing in the international arena. This would be attributed to the limitations they would have emotionally, physically, academically and socially. Children’s health needs that are unmet and the lack of access to health care is usually associated with the lack of health coverage. In the United States of America, two thirds of the children who are uninsured are entitled for coverage in Medicaid. The children are, however, not enrolled as a result of the state imposed barriers that are different across the different states. Children from different populations and races are uninsured in a disproportionate manner. This leads to them suffering from health conditions that are preventable and treatable.
Children’s health across different populations in America.
A single in five American Indian children, one among six Hispanic children and one in eight African American children are uninsured. This is according to the State of America’s Children 2011 Report. This is with a comparison of one in fourteen white children. Hispanic and Black children as well as those children from underprivileged settings are most probable to be uninsured. This is when compared with White children and those that come from wealthy families. The disparities in health insurance are attributed to the cost that is associated with accessing health insurance.
The United States of America has been deemed to have the second highest infant mortality rate. This is among thirty two most industrialized nations. America has been ranked twenty positions in the thirty two industrialized nations with regard to low birth weight rate. Infants that are born by African American mothers have a double likelihood of dying before their first birthday. This is in comparison with infants who are born by White mothers.
There is also likelihood that infants born by Black mothers have a double likelihood of having a low birth weight. This also when compared with infants born by a White mother. Since the year 1984, America has seen the rate of babies who are born at low birthrate increase by twenty two percent. There were four decades of decline after which infant mortality rates increased in 2002, 20005 and 2007. The immunization rates of children from different races are similar but are in instances influenced by income of parents. Black children who come from deprived families are less possible to have full immunization as compared to children from wealthy families.
| States where the majority of uninsured children live | States with the largest percentage of uninsured children | ||||
| State | Number uninsured | Percentage uninsured | State | Percentage uninsured | Number uninsured |
| Texas | 1,392000 | 19.2 | Texas | 19.2 | 1,392000 |
| California | 1,119000 | 11.2 | Florida | 18.3 | 786,000 |
| Florida | 786,000 | 18.3 | Nevada | 15.9 | 113,000 |
| New York | 382,000 | 8.1 | New Mexico | 15.5 | 84,000 |
| Georgia | 316,000 | 11.6 | Arizona | 14.8 | 269,000 |
| North Carolina | 277,000 | 11.5 | South Carolina | 13.6 | 156,000 |
| Illinois | 259,000 | 7.7 | Mississippi | 12.8 | 104,000 |
| New jersey | 244,000 | 11.3 | Alaska | 12.2 | 24,000 |
| Ohio | 227,000 | 7.9 | Colorado | 12.0 | 155,000 |
Children’s access to healthcare
Unreliable is the term that can be sued to describe access to health care services in the United States of America. This is attributed to the fact that most citizens are not able to obtain suitable and timely care that is much needed. There has been estimation that the American health care which is already strained will have an incursion of patients by 2014. It is estimated that by then, 32 million Americans will be having insurance for the first time. These are the concerns that have made the measurement and creation of strategies and models vital.
In order to be able to improve health care, it is essential to ensure that citizens have a normal and continuous source of care. It is possible for children who have a usual and continuous source of care to have better health outcomes with fewer disparities and costs. In order to ensure that children are bale to get the usual source of care, there should be a Primary Care Provider. Parents are able to develop meaningful and sustainable relationships with PCPs that provide them with integrated services for their children.
Parents can be able to provide their children with efficient healthcare if they are able to access PCPs. It enables parents to develop trust in the provider, due to the services that are offered. For there to be an improvement in health care services, there need to be an increased access to evidence based preventive services. Such include clinical preventive services that prevent diseases from infecting children. This is achieved by the detection of symptoms and early warning signs that appear in young children. It is also required of clinic al preventive services that they should detect diseases in children when they are at an early stage. This is important as it makes it possible to administer treatment when the diseases have not developed to advanced stages. Starfield B (2004).
Low birth weight
This is one of the concerns that have arisen from the status of children that are being born in the United States of America. Pregnancy outcomes that are adverse are generally more common in America than in other developed countries. There has been an increased morbidity, mortality and cost. This has been as a result of low birth weight infants, born after a preterm birth. There are wide disparities that are present in both preterm birth and growth restriction in different population groups. For instance, the preterm birth rate among poor and black women is twice the rate among other women. Poor and black women are also termed to have a higher rate of growth restriction than the other women.
The low birth rates have resulted to infants having the risk of contracting chronic medical conditions such as hypertension and heart disease. Maternal thinness has been considered as one of the string indicators of fetal growth restriction and preterm birth. In the United States of America, several nutritional measures have been taken. These include; caloric supplementation, high protein diets as well as vitamin and mineral supplementations. This, however, has not yielded the desired results in reducing preterm birth or growth restriction. Most of the interventions and measures that have been implemented have failed in the reduction of preterm birth or growth restriction. The major contributor to new born survival rates in the United States has been improved neonatal care. This has occurred over the past decades and targets low birth weight infants. Starfield B (2007).
Infant mortality
Among the developed countries, the United States’ infant mortality rate is among the highest. There are also alarming rates in America with reference to the levels of disparity. Such rates have revealed that black babies in America die at more than a double rate when compared with white babies. Statistics in the year 2007 reveals that United States of America was ranked behind the majority of other developed nations.
Organizations such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and development have shown that third world countries have lower infant mortality rates. This when compared with America which spends more on health care than the developing countries. Within America, infant mortality has a range of up to ten deaths per one thousand in Mississippi and Alabama. The range in Washington and Massachusetts is about five deaths per one thousand. There continues to be a huge gap in infant mortality rates between whites and blacks. This despite the fact that overall rates have been on the turn down since the year 2000.
Statistics have shown that American mothers who are most probable to lose their children are non- Hispanic black women. This with a rate that is larger than that of non-Hispanic white mothers. Disparities in America in infant mortality rate have been contributed by the kind of care provided in the various states. There have been advocating for the implementation of strong initiatives at both national and state ranks so as to reduce the infant mortality rates.
Overweight and obesity among children and teens
Studies have revealed that there are an approximated sixteen percent of all children in the United States of America that can be considered to be obese. Fulton County in Atlanta is among the counties in the America that is affected by the obesity issue. In order to deal with the menace of obesity in the County of Fulton, the Fulton County Department of Health has put in place measure that are aimed at ensuring the levels of obesity in the county are reduced. One of the measures that have been taken is the encouragement of parents. This has been done to ensure that their children consume the right foods so as to be in a position to obtain the necessary nutrients. The Fulton county Department of Health has in the recent past adopted certain practices that have had the focus of tackling obesity in the County. In honor of the National Nutrition Month Fulton County and the Nutrition Program in association with other stakeholders, has conducted simple food demonstrations that are aimed at promoting healthy eating and snacking.
Due to the concerns of such statistics the Fulton County department of Health has advised its citizens on the diets that they should have. This is in order to maximize the nutritional value in their health systems. In order to be able to guard against certain diseases that are associated with obesity, citizens of Fulton County have been guided to have various meals.
Conclusion
Child health is considered to be very essential for any society or community. It is through the existence of healthy children that a country would be able to plan for the future. This is so as there would be people to implement those plans. The existence of a children population that is unhealthy and does not have access to effective health care could spell doom for the country. Health providers, government as well as other stakeholders should, therefore, ensure that parents are able to have access to effective and affordable healthcare.
Reference:
The state of America’s children 2011 report (2011) available at http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/state-of-americas-children-2011/ [21/7/2012].
Starfield B (2004) The medical home, access to care, and insurance. Pediatrics. New York.
Starfield B (2007) Primary care: Balancing health needs services and technology. New York: Oxford University Press.
