Close to half of Nevada's children are not at a healthy weight when they enter kindergarten, according to a new report issued by the Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy (NICRP) at UNLV.
The NICRP administers the Kindergarten Health Survey to Nevada school districts each year to assess the overall health status of children starting school. The fourth annual survey gathered information on insurance status, frequency of routine care, immunizations, access to care, weight and behaviors like drinking soda, watching TV and playing video games.
Many parents surveyed say high medical costs and lack of financial resources are the biggest barriers to maintaining consistent healthcare for their kids.
"The health and well-being of kids in Nevada begins before they start school," said Tara Phebus, interim executive director of the NICRP. "More than one-third of incoming kindergarten students are overweight or obese. Families should develop habits for proper nutrition and physical activity early so children can carry positive behaviors into adulthood."
More than 8,000 surveys were collected. Though only 12 percent of new kindergartners are not covered by health insurance, enrollment in public insurance has gone up and private insurance numbers have dropped. Close to half of Hispanic parents surveyed reported that their child was uninsured - an 11.3 percent decline since the first survey in 2008. Hispanic children are still more likely to be uninsured compared to other racial/ethnic groups.
Additional findings include:
- 15 percent of kids are underweight; 31 percent are either overweight or obese
- 41 percent did not attend pre-school
- 30 percent had public health insurance, such as Medicaid or Nevada Check-Up
- 86 percent had at least one routine check-up a year prior to the survey
- 84 percent have a primary care provider, a three percent increase from the 2010
- 27 percent have not received routine dental care in the past year, a decrease of five percent from the 2008 survey
- 49 percent watch one to four hours of television or more during a weekday
The Nevada Kindergarten Health Survey is a partnership between UNLV, the Nevada State Health Division, Southern Nevada Health District and 17 Nevada school districts. The survey identifies health trends that can be used by educators and by state officials to guide policy and program development.
To access the full report, contact the NICRP at (702) 895-1040 or visit NICRP.
The UNLV research team included Amanda Haboush, Tara Phebus, Brian Neau, Taylor Oliver and Enrique Lopez from the NICRP in the School of Community Health Sciences. Representatives from all Nevada county school districts, the Nevada State Health Division and Nevada School District Superintendents and Head Start Collaboration and Early Childhood Systems Office also participated in the project.
