Idaho Rises Slightly In Kids Count Idaho Low On Infant Immunization, Children Without Health Insurance

Despite one of the worst infant immunization rates in the nation and one of the highest percentages of children without health insurance, Idaho modestly improved its national ranking of how well it cares for its kids.

But the new 1997 Kids Count report, which raises Idaho’s ranking from 24th to 23rd nationally, pointed out that a greater percentage of Idaho children 3 to 5 years were not enrolled in nursery school or kindergarten in 1994 - 51 percent - than in any other state but West Virginia.

And despite reducing its high school dropout rate from 12 percent in 1993 to 11 percent in 1994, Idaho still had a higher dropout rate than 34 other states and the same rate it had a decade earlier. The 10 percent of 16-to 19-year-olds neither in school nor working was higher than for all but 12 other states.

“Today, the importance of education is greater than ever,” said Helen Stroebel, the Idaho director for the Kids Count project compiled by the non-profit Annie E. Casey Foundation.

She said the statistics called for bold action to reform schools and improve education, specifically by providing preschool experiences to prepare children to learn and raising instruction and assessment standards while securing meaningful family involvement.

“As parents, we must become more involved in our children’s education,” Stroebel said. “As concerned community citizens, we must encourage and support quality education for a work force that is employable in tomorrow’s world.”

The 1997 report, being released today, is a state-by-state survey of children’s well-being. The state rankings are based on 1994 data on such factors as low birth weight, infant mortality, child deaths, teen violence, high school dropouts, children living in poverty and families headed by single parents.

In that category Idaho continued to rank second in the nation. Only 17 percent of Idaho families were led by a single parent. The national rate was 26 percent.

And in 1994 only 10 percent of the state’s 348,000 children under 18 lived with parents who had dropped out of high school compared to 15 percent nationally.

But only 68 percent of Idaho’s 2-year-olds were immunized in 1994. Only Michigan and Nevada had lower immunization percentages.

And 14 percent - nearly 49,000 - of Idaho’s children were without health insurance. Only a dozen other states had higher percentages.

In other areas, Idaho ranked:

5th in percentage of low birthweight babies at 5.5 percent, up from 5.3 percent in 1993.

The national average in 1993 was 7.3 percent, up from 7.2 percent 12th in infant mortality rate. The number of deaths per 1,000 live births in Idaho dropped from 7.2 in 1993 to 6.9 in 1994. The national rate fell from 8.4 percent to 8 percent.

36th in deaths per 100,000 children at 32 in both years. Nationally the rate fell from 34 to 29.

26th in deaths by accident, homicide and suicide per 1000,000 teens.

The rate declined from 78 in 1993 to 72 in 1994 while the national rate held at 69.

25th in the percentage of children living in poverty, which held steady at 18 percent. The national rate of 21 percent was also unchanged.

14th in juvenile violent crime arrest rate per 100,000 juveniles. The survey found 288 of every 100,000 Idaho youths 10 to 17 were arrested for violent crimes in 1994 compared to 292 the year before. The national rate was 517, up from 506 in 1993.

15th in teen birth rate. The report said 27 of every 1,000 girls 15 to 17 gave birth in 1994, down from 29 a year earlier.

The national rate was 38 for both years.