LAS VEGAS - February 17, 2010 - Childhood obesity and limited health insurance coverage continue to be major issues affecting the health of Nevada kindergartners, according to the second annual Kindergarten Health Survey by the Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy (NICRP) at UNLV.
The 16-question survey was distributed to an estimated 24,261 parents of entering kindergartners in Nevada last fall to get a picture of the health status of children entering school. Information was gathered on insurance status, immunizations, access to care, mental health and healthy behaviors and can be used to guide both new health policies and targeted solutions down to the school level.
More than 9,500 surveys were collected from 16 of the state's 17 school districts. Among the findings:
o 25 percent of kindergartners surveyed are considered obese
o 18 percent have no health insurance coverage
o 30 percent live in family with annual income below $25,000
o 83 percent have not been screened for lead poisoning
o 30 percent have not received routine dental care in the past 12 months
"While most findings were consistent with the first year, a 13 percent drop in private insurance coverage and a high percentage of families near poverty income levels are evidence that Nevada's struggling economy is affecting the health of its children," said Denise Tanata Ashby, executive director of the NICRP and the study's lead author.
Tanata Ashby also points to high obesity numbers among survey respondents - 25.3 percent - as a primary concern due to childhood obesity's link to additional long term health effects and rising health care costs.
The survey did reveal a few bright spots for Nevada's kindergartners. Nearly all (94.5 percent) respondents indicated that they support immunizing their children against disease, and 83.7 percent have taken their child for a routine medical check-up in the last 12 months.
"Health status is a key predictor of academic success in children, so understanding and addressing health concerns as soon as possible is a key to improving both academic and health outcomes," said Tanata Ashby.
The full report can be obtained by contacting the NICRP at (702) 895-1040 or by visiting http://nic.unlv.edu.
The Nevada Kindergarten Health Survey is a partnership of the NICRP in the UNLV School of Community Health Sciences, Nevada State Health Division, Clark County School District, Nevada Head Start State Collaboration and Nevada School District Superintendents. The UNLV research team included Denise Tanata Ashby, Kari Wolkwitz, Amanda Haboush, Tara Phebus, Enrique Lopez and Norman Torres from the NICRP.
