Missouri continues to lag behind most states in children's health, report finds
(Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent).
Missouri ranked in the bottom third of all states for children's health, according to a report released Monday — due in part to a high rate of child and teen deaths.
The annual Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which used data from 2023, evaluated all states on four metrics of child well-being: health, economic well-being, education, and family and community.
Missouri ranked near the middle of states for overall child well-being, at 27th out of 50, weighed down by poor performance in health and education.
Missouri's rankings in the four categories were:
13th in economic well-being,
33rd in education,
35th in health
And 25th in family & community.
'Children's health remains an area of concern,' noted a press release Monday from Family and Community Trust, the Missouri-based nonprofit partner to Kids Count.
Only nine states had higher rates of child and teen deaths in 2023 than Missouri, one of the factors considered in the health ranking. (Those were: Mississippi, Louisiana, New Mexico, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alaska, Oklahoma and Montana.)
Missouri generally ranks among the states with the highest rate of firearm deaths for kids. Firearms became the leading cause of kids' deaths in the United States in 2020, surpassing car accidents.
While the national average in 2023 was 29 child and teen deaths per 100,000, that number was 37 deaths per 100,000 in Missouri.
The national average rose overall in 2023. The report notes that while covid deaths contributed to the increase, the rise was largely due to rising firearm deaths and drug overdoses, particularly among teens ages 15 to 19.
Also bringing Missouri's health ranking down: Missouri's rate of low-birth weight babies increased in 2023 from 2019 and is above the national average.
Other factors helped Missouri's score. For one, Missouri has seen major improvements in children's insurance coverage since the state implemented Medicaid expansion in 2021. The rate of uninsured kids fell from 7% in 2019 to 5% in 2023, which is now on par with the national average.
Nationally, Missouri saw among the sharpest declines in uninsured people overall from 2019 to 2023 with the expansion of Medicaid.
Those gains could be threatened by Congress' budget proposal to reduce Medicaid spending in part by imposing more barriers to care.
Teen births in the state have gone down, in line with national trends — though the state's average is still above the national one.
The rate of overweight or obese kids has also improved in Missouri and is down to 31% of kids in 2023, on par with the national average.
The rate of kids in poverty declined to 14% in the state in 2023, below the 16% national average.
Missouri's education ranking slipped in recent years.
In 2023, 77% of Missouri eighth graders were not proficient at math, according to the report, which is nearly 10 percentage points worse than 2019 and is worse than the national average.
The press release from Family and Community Trust said the data show a 'continuing need to invest in education in Missouri.'
SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
17 hours ago
- New York Post
Nationwide recall issued for popular chocolate brand that contains potentially ‘life-threatening' ingredient
A popular chocolate treat is being pulled from shelves nationwide over an ingredient that may trigger severe – and potentially deadly – allergic reactions, federal officials warned. An urgent recall was issued after Lipari Foods discovered that its 14-ounce packages of JLM Branded Dark Chocolate Nonpareils may contain undeclared milk, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Friday. Those with milk allergies are urged to avoid consuming the potentially lethal candy. Select packages of JLM Branded Dark Chocolate Nonpareils may contain undeclared milk. USFDA 'People who have allergies to milk run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reactions if they consume these products,' the dire bulletin stated. The Michigan-based company initiated the recall after its distributor, Weave Nut Company, alerted them that the candy may contain the dairy allergen, which was not disclosed on the packaging. But the sprinkle-topped chocolate discs, sold in clear plastic tubs, had already made their way to retailers across the country. The recall targets packaging with lot codes 28202501A, 29202501A, 23202504A, 14202505A, 15202505A, and 03202506A on the bottom label. No illnesses or adverse reactions have been reported in connection with the recall. Brent Hofacker – The FDA advised customers to return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund. No illnesses or adverse reactions have been reported in connection with the recall.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
Feds demand Oregon Health Plan data in crackdown against immigrant coverage
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Federal officials are seeking the personal data of the Medicaid-funded Oregon Health Plan as part of a crackdown on coverage for undocumented immigrants. The request, as first reported by , comes after the Department of Homeland Security provided immigration officials with similar data from California, Illinois, Washington state and Washington, D.C. 'Just wrong': Oregon advocates say SCOTUS decision targets transgender youth Oregon, like these states, has expanded medical coverage to undocumented residents through state-funded programs. On Monday, Gov. Tina Kotek said her office is reviewing the order. 'I think it's very important, to a degree that we can, that we do not share personal information,' Kotek said. 'Always comfortable with aggregated information, but when we start sharing personal medical information that could be misused, that's a challenge for me.' The state of Oregon has until the end of July 2025 to comply. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
20 hours ago
- Miami Herald
In Southern California, many are skipping health care out of fear of ICE operations
LOS ANGELES – Missed childhood vaccinations. Skipped blood sugar checks. Medications abandoned at the pharmacy. These are among the health care disruptions providers have noticed since Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations began in Southern California earlier this month. Across the region, once-busy parks, shops and businesses have emptied as undocumented residents and their families hole up at home in fear. As rumors of immigration arrests have swirled around clinics and hospitals, many patients are also opting to skip chronic-care management visits as well as routine childhood check-ups. In response, local federally qualified health centers — institutions that receive federal funds and are required by law to provide primary care regardless of ability to pay — have been scrambling to organize virtual appointments, house calls and pharmacy deliveries to patients who no longer feel safe going out in public. 'We're just seeing a very frightening and chaotic environment that's making it extremely difficult to provide for the health care needs of our patients,' said Jim Mangia, president of St. John's Community Health, which offers medical, dental and mental health care to more than 100,000 low-income patients annually in Southern California. Prior to the raids, the system's network of clinics logged about a 9% no-show rate, Mangia said. In recent weeks, more than 30% of patients have canceled or failed to show. In response, the organization has launched a program called Healthcare Without Fear to provide virtual and home visits to patients concerned about the prospect of arrest. 'When we call patients back who missed their appointment and didn't call in, overwhelmingly, they're telling us they're not coming out because of ICE,' said Mangia, who estimates that 25% of the clinic's patient population is undocumented. 'People are missing some pretty substantial health care appointments.' A recent survey of patient no-shows at nonprofit health clinics across Los Angeles County found no universal trends across the 118 members of the Community Clinic Assn. of L.A. County, President Louise McCarthy said. Some clinics have seen a jump in missed appointments, while others have observed no change. The data do not indicate how many patients opted to convert scheduled in-person visits to telehealth so they wouldn't have to leave home, she noted. Patients have also expressed concerns that any usage of health services could make them targets. Earlier this month, the Associated Press reported that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shared the personal data of Medicaid enrollees with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including their immigration status. No specific enforcement actions have been directly linked to the data. 'The level of uncertainty and anxiety that is happening now is beyond the pale,' McCarthy said, for patients and staff alike. County-run L.A. General Medical Center issued a statement on Thursday refuting reports that federal authorities had carried out enforcement operations at the downtown trauma center. While no immigration-related arrests have been reported at county health facilities, 'the mere threat of immigration enforcement near any medical facility undermines public trust and jeopardizes community health,' the department said in a statement. Los Angeles County is among the providers working to extend in-home care options such as medication delivery and a nurse advice line for people reluctant to come in person. 'However, not all medical appointments or conditions can be addressed remotely,' a spokesperson said. 'We urge anyone in need of care not to delay.' Providers expressed concern that missing preventative care appointments could lead to emergencies that both threaten patients' lives and further stress public resources. Preventative care 'keeps our community at large healthy and benefits really everyone in Los Angeles,' said a staff member at a group of L.A. area clinics. He asked that his employer not be named for fear of drawing attention to their patient population. Neglecting care now, he said, 'is going to cost everybody more money in the long run.' A patient with hypertension who skips blood pressure monitoring appointments now may be more likely to be brought into an emergency room with a heart attack in the future, said Dr. Bukola Olusanya, a medical director at St. John's. 'If [people] can't get their medications, they can't do follow-ups. That means a chronic condition that has been managed and well-controlled is just going to deteriorate,' she said. 'We will see patients going to the ER more than they should be, rather than coming to primary care.' Providers are already seeing that shift. When a health team visited one diabetic patient recently at home, they found her blood sugar levels sky-high, Mangia said. She told the team she'd consumed nothing but tortillas and coffee in the previous five days rather than risk a trip to the grocery store. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
