Study: Ohio, Pa. show setbacks

Both Ohio and Pennsylvania had setbacks in the areas of low birth-weight babies and single-parent families.
By AMY HOUSLEY
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- If children are the future, how are they faring in the present? A new study shows that most American children are better off now than they were in 1990.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation released the "Kids Count 2002 Data Book," a state-by-state report tracking 10 measures of child well-being from 1990 to 1999, late last week. Nationally, seven of the measures showed improvements, two had setbacks and one showed no change.
Ohio ranked 25th among the states and Pennsylvania was 17th. Each experienced setbacks in three areas.
Ohio's problem areas are the percentage of low birth-weight babies, percentage of teens who are high-school dropouts, and the percentage of families headed by a single parent.
According to the Ohio Children's Defense Fund, Mahoning County's rate of low birth weights is 9.4 percent, and Columbiana County's is 11.6 percent. The Trumbull County Health Department said that 7.5 percent of births there are low-weight infants.
Last year, Warren city schools had a high-school dropout rate of 61.3 percent. This is measured by the number of students graduating as compared with the number who entered the ninth grade.
John Wilson, director of development and community outreach for Warren schools, said the major reasons that students leave high school are lack of interest and lack of success. To counteract these, the school district has instituted programs such as vocational classes and an alternative school.
How Pennsylvania fares
Pennsylvania also experienced a setback in low-weight births and single-parent families, but also saw a higher percentage of children living in poverty. Pennsylvania saw no change in the percentage of teens who are high-school dropouts.
Beverly Burrows, executive director of the Mercer County Child and Youth Services, said about 22 percent of its referrals concern custody issues. The level of stability in a child's life can have a major effect on the child.
About 69 percent of the children that the office handles are from single-parent families, but the office deals with some 16 percent of the children in the county.
Like the local trends, the national statistics show there was an increase in the percentage of low birth-weight babies and no states saw improvement in this area.
There also was an increase in single-parent families and no change in the percentage of high-school dropouts.
ahousley@vindy.com