By Emily Storrow
Wilkes Journal-Patriot
Where children are born in North Carolina makes a big difference in how long they live and the quality of their health, according to a report released this week by a North Carolina child advocacy group.
The county-level “snapshots” of child health and well-being were produced by Laila A. Bell, director of research and data at N.C. Child, a nonprofit that works to improve the lives of North Carolina children.
According to the data, a baby born in Wilkes County is expected to live 77.2 years, just under the state average of 78.3 years.
Children who grow up in Orange County are expected to live the longest lives—81.7 years. The shortest expected life span is in Swain County, where children’s life expectancies are lower by nearly a decade—73.1 years.
The differences in life expectancy by county appear to hinge on factors that influence health overall, such as poverty rates and access to health insurance and prenatal care, according to Ms. Bell. Specifically, the data suggest that poverty and a lack of insurance contribute to a shorter life expectancy.
“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,” Ms. Bell said.
Wilkes County snapshot
In Wilkes County, 33.5 percent of children live in poverty–statewide, 24.9 percent do. 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, the report said.
“Food insecurity” affects 30.5 percent of Wilkes children, meaning they live in households that struggle to provide enough healthy, nutritious food for all members of the family, the report said. Across North Carolina, that number is much lower at 6.1 percent.
About 10 percent of babies are born at a low birth weight, putting them at greater risk for developmental delays or future health complications including infant mortality. In 4.5 percent of births, the mother received very late or no prenatal care.
According to the data, 5.7 percent of children in Wilkes are uninsured. The report noted that children who lack access to health insurance are less likely to receive the preventive care they need to achieve and maintain good health.
Ann Absher comments
“This report highlights that childhood problems like poverty, healthy food access, smoking rates and access to health care negatively impacts the average life span of Wilkes County residents,” said Ann Absher, director of the Wilkes County Health Department.
“The public health department continues to work with community partners to address these difficult problems with our work on the Community Health Needs Assessment priorities: Access to Health care and healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity for children beginning at the preschool level,” said Mrs. Absher.
“The Health Foundation is starting to lead an exciting Collective Impact Coalition with public health, Wilkes County Schools and Wilkes Partnership for Children on strategies to address the childhood obesity epidemic.
“At the health department, we provide access to prenatal care (through our partnership with Wilkes Physician Network), WIC nutrition support and education for pregnant women, infants and children, nutrition counseling and education with registered dietitians at our Diabetes and Nutrition Center, and primary health care and immunizations for women and children. Our “Plan First” program aims to prevent unintentional pregnancies and promotes birth spacing for healthier babies.
“With our MESH bus, we provide access for teenagers at the high schools and early college which will expand to the middle schools next year through grant support from the Office of Rural Health. Nurses and social workers provide support to qualifying high risk women and children to prevent low birth weight babies and developmental delays in young children,” said Mrs. Absher.
“Tobacco cessation is also a priority through our Northwest Tobacco Coalition. Decreasing poverty, food insecurity, substance abuse and smoking rates are key to a healthier Wilkes.”
Avoidable challenges
“These health challenges are avoidable,” Ms. Bell said. “We know that smart public policy decisions can help enhance local efforts to ensure all children in Wilkes live in homes and communities that promote their health and development.”
Among the things that can help, Ms. Bell said, are public health insurance programs that give low-income children access to health care and preschool programs that help children enter kindergarten ready to learn.
Ms. Bell compiled information on social, economic and health outcomes for the data cards as a supplement to the North Carolina Child Health Report Card, an annual report released in partnership with the North Carolina Institute of Medicine that monitors the health and safety of children in North Carolina.
N.C. Child was created Jan. 1, 2014 through a merger of Action for Children North Carolina and the Covenant with North Carolina’s Children.
Ms. Bell compiled the snapshots with data on social, economic and health outcomes as a supplement to the North Carolina Child Health Report Card, which was released in March.
The county-level child health snapshots can be found in the “Recent Publications’ section of N.C. Child’s website,http://www.ncchild.org/
Source: Report Shows Where Child Lives has Impact on Health.