By Adam Bulluck
Jefferson Post
ASHE COUNTY — A baby born today in Ashe County will live an average of 4 years less than a baby born on the same day in Orange County, according to the most recent statistics released by N.C. Child.
The life expectancy for an Ashe County baby born today is 77.7 years, while the life expectancy for an Orange County baby is 81.7 years, the highest in the state.
Statewide, the average life expectancy for a baby born today is 78.3 years. While Ashe isn’t too far behind, it trails neighboring Watauga County, where children born today can expect to live an average of 81 years — the life expectancy of children born in Japan, where residents have the longest life expectancy of any major country.
Across the state there are large differences in life expectancy by county of residence.
While lower than some counties, Ashe’s life expectancy is by no means the lowest. Swain County has the lowest life expectancy with only 73.1 years — the life expectancy for a baby born in Cambodia.
The data shows that one in 12 Ashe babies are born with a low birth weight, which NCChild.org calls “the strongest predictor of infant mortality.” In addition, one in 19 births (5.3 percent) is to a woman who received very late or no prenatal care, a factor which places both the mother and child at higher risk for pregnancy complications or poor birth outcomes. Also, one in 20 children (5 percent) are uninsured, approximately 259 of whom may be income eligible for Medicaid of NC Health Choice.
Approximately 28.4 percent of Ashe children live in poverty, putting them at a higher risk for chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity and developmental delays, according to the N.C. Child’s 2014 Child Health Snapshot. About 1,580 children (30.3 percent) also live in “food insecure households.”
The county-by-county snapshots were compiled by Laila A. Bell, director of research and data at N.C. Child. She designed them to accompany the North Carolina Child Health Report Card, released each year by the North Carolina Institute of Medicine, which monitors the health and safety of children in North Carolina.
“Across indicators we see that a distance of fewer than 100 miles can mean the difference between positive or negative outcomes in children’s lives, a fact that simply cannot be explained by random chance or genetic predisposition,” Bell said. “These geographic disparities are a stark reminder of the profound impact the environments where our children live, play and go to school have on their long-term health opportunities.”
In North Carolina:
• One in 15 births (6.6 percent) is to a mother who received very late or no prenatal care. Women who are uninsured at the time of conception may encounter administrative delays for Medicaid that prevent them from accessing prenatal care during the most critical period of their babies’ development;
• One in 4 children (24.9 percent) lives in poverty. Research shows children who are raised in poverty have poorer health outcomes and are more likely to suffer from acute and chronic health problems as they age;
• 595,240 children (6.1 percent) are estimated to be food insecure, living in households that struggle to provide enough healthy, nutritious food for all members of the family;
• One in 11 babies (8.8 percent) is born at a low birth weight putting children at greater risk for developmental delays or future health complications including infant mortality.
“These health challenges are largely avoidable,” Bell said. “We know that smart public policy decisions can help enhance local efforts to ensure all children in North Carolina live in homes and communities that promote their health and development.”
The county data cards identify three investments North Carolina can make to significantly improve the health of its children and families:
• Strengthen access to health insurance for women of reproductive age by expanding Medicaid to cover adults below 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Line;
• Support infant mortality prevention strategies like the Healthy Babies Bundle recommended by the Child Fatality Task Force;
• Invest in early intervention services to reduce the effects of developmental delays.
For the full report and more information, visit NCChild.org.