The Annie E. Casey Foundation, an organization dedicated to aiding children and their families in America, has released a report of the best states for child health. According to the findings, Georgia is one of the worst states in the entire country.
“Children’s good health is fundamental to their overall development, and ensuring kids are born healthy is the first step toward improving their life chances,” the foundation reported. “Exposure to violence, family stress, inadequate housing, lack of preventive health care, poor nutrition, poverty and substance abuse undermine children’s health. Poor health in childhood affects other critical aspects of a child’s life, such as school readiness and attendance, and can have lasting consequences on their future health and well-being.”
Georgia scored in the bottom 16% of states for child health — the 43th lowest scoring state. The five worst states for child health were Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, South Carolina and Wyoming. The five best states for child health were Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Minnesota and New Jersey.
A number of factors led to Georgia ranking so low in the report, including low birth weights, high obesity rates and teen deaths. The percentage of children without health insurance in the state of Georgia, 7%, was seven times the number in Massachusetts. Meanwhile, in 2021, more than twice as many children and teens — per 100,000 people aged 1 to 19 — died in Georgia than in Massachusetts.
“The child and teen death rate (deaths per 100,000 children ages 1 to 19) reflects a broad array of factors: physical and mental health; access to health care; community issues; use of safety practices; and, especially for younger children, the level of adult supervision,” the foundation reported. “Accidents, primarily those involving motor vehicles, were the leading cause of death for children and youth, accounting for 31% of all deaths among children ages 1 to 14. As children move further into their teenage years, they encounter new, and potentially deadly, risks. In 2021, accidents, homicides and suicides accounted for 76% of deaths for teens ages 15 to 19. This is the second year in a row that firearm-related deaths are the leading cause of deaths among teens.”
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