Trends in the Well-Being of America’s Children & Youth:

Detailed Table of Contents

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Acknowledgments

Part I: Indicators of Children's Well-Being

by Child Trends, Inc.

(Title Page, Table of Contents, Acknowledgments, and Introduction in PDF format.)

Introduction

Section 1: Population, Family, and Neighborhood (PF)

Child Population Characteristics (PF 1) (In PDF Format)

PF 1.1 Number of children under age 18 in the United States
PF 1.2 Children as a percentage of the total population
PF 1.3 Percentage of families with children and distribution of families by number of children
PF 1.4 Racial and ethnic composition of the child population of the United States
PF 1.5 Immigrant children
PF 1.6 Children as a percentage of the dependent population
PF 1.7 Fertility rate and number of births

Family Structure (PF 2) (In PDF Format)

PF 2.1 Percentage distribution of children in the United States by number of parents in household
PF 2.2 Percentage of all births to unmarried women
PF 2.3 Children living in foster care

Neighborhoods (PF 3) (In PDF Format)

PF 3.1 Residential stability: Percentage of children under age 18 who have moved within the last year
PF 3.2 Children in poor and very poor neighborhoods

Section 2: Economic Security (ES)

Poverty and Income (ES 1) (In PDF Format)

ES 1.1 Median family income
ES 1.2 The income distribution: The income-to-poverty ratio of families with children, by income quintile
ES 1.3 Children in poverty
ES 1.4 Long-term childhood poverty

Financial Support (ES 2) (In PDF Format)

ES 2.1 Effect of government cash and near-cash transfer programs on poverty among persons living in families with children under age 18
ES 2.2 Means-tested assistance: AFDC and Food Stamps
ES 2.3 Long-term welfare dependence
ES 2.4 Sources of income and payment of federal taxes for families with children
ES 2.5 Child support nonpayment

Parental and Youth Employment (ES 3) (In PDF Format)

ES 3.1 Parental labor force participation: Percentage of children with both parents or only resident parent in the labor force
ES 3.2 Maternal employment: Percentage of mothers with children under age 18 who are employed, full-time and part-time
ES 3.3 Parental labor force detachment: The percentage of children under age 18 with no resident parents in the labor force
ES 3.4 Secure parental labor force attachment: Percentage of children with at least one fully employed (full-time, full-year) resident parent
ES 3.5 Child care
ES 3.6 Detached youth: Percentage of 16- through 19-year-olds not in school and not working

Consumption (ES 4) (In PDF Format)

ES 4.1 Housing problems
ES 4.2 Food security

Section 3: Health Conditions and Health Care (HC)

Mortality (HC 1) (In PDF Format)

HC 1.1 Infant mortality
HC 1.2 Child and youth deaths
HC 1.3 Youth motor vehicle crash deaths
HC 1.4 Youth homicides
HC 1.5 Youth suicides
HC 1.6 Firearm-related deaths

Health Conditions (HC 2) (In PDF Format)

HC 2.1 Healthy births
HC 2.2 Low birth weight
HC 2.3 Very low birth weight
HC 2.4 General health conditions: Percentage of children in very good or excellent health
HC 2.5 Chronic health conditions
HC 2.6 Overweight prevalence among children and adolescents
HC 2.7 Abuse and neglect
HC 2.8 Suicidal teens: Youth who have thought seriously about or attempted suicide
HC 2.9 Activity limitations
HC 2.10 Lead exposure
HC 2.11 Violent victimization of teens
HC 2.12 Dental caries
HC 2.13 Children and adolescents with HIV/AIDS
HC 2.14 Sexually transmitted diseases among adolescents

Health Care (HC 3) (In PDF Format)

HC 3.1 Health insurance coverage
HC 3.2 Early prenatal care: Receipt of prenatal care in the first trimester
HC 3.3 Late or no prenatal care
HC 3.4 Inadequate prenatal care
HC 3.5 Immunization: Percentage of children ages 19 months to 35 months who are fully immunized

Section 4: Social Development, Behavioral Health, and Teen Fertility (SD)

Social Development (SD 1) (In PDF Format)

SD 1.1 Life goals: The percentage of high school seniors who rated selected personal and social goals as extremely important
SD 1.2 Peer approval
SD 1.3 Religious attendance and religiosity
SD 1.4 Voting behavior of young adults
SD 1.5 Television viewing habits
SD 1.6 Youth violent crime arrest rates
SD 1.7 Low-risk teen cumulative risk index
SD 1.8 Closeness with parents
SD 1.9 Parents' activities with children

Behavioral Health: Physical Health and Safety (SD 2) (In PDF Format)

SD 2.1 Physical fighting by youth
SD 2.2 Weapons carrying among high school youth
SD 2.3 Seat belt use
SD 2.4 Regular physical exercise
SD 2.5 Sufficient hours of sleep

Behavioral Health: Smoking, Alcohol, and Substance Abuse (SD 3) (In PDF Format)

SD 3.1 Cigarette smoking among youth
SD 3.2 Smokeless tobacco use among youth
SD 3.3 Alcohol use among youth
SD 3.4 Exposure to drunk driving
SD 3.5 Drug use among youth: Marijuana, inhalants, hallucinogens, and cocaine
SD 3.6 Peer attitudes towards alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and smoking
SD 3.7 Abuse of alcohol or other controlled substances

Behavioral Health: Sexual Activity and Fertility (SD 4) (In PDF Format)

SD 4.1 Sexually experienced teens
SD 4.2 Sexually active teens
SD 4.3 Contraceptive use by teens
SD 4.4 Number of sexual partners
SD 4.5 Teen pregnancy
SD 4.6 Abortion among teens
SD 4.7 Teen births
SD 4.8 Teen non-marital births
SD 4.9 Second- and higher-order births to teens

Section 5: Education and Achievement (EA)

Enrollment/Attendance (EA 1) (In PDF Format)

EA 1.1 Early childhood program enrollment
EA 1.2 Grade retention: Percentage of current 2nd graders who were retained in kindergarten and/or 1st grade
EA 1.3 School absenteeism
EA 1.4 High school dropouts: Event dropout rate for grades 10 through 12
EA 1.5 High school completion rates for 18- through 24-year-olds
EA 1.6 College attendance and attainment

Achievement/Proficiency (EA 2) (In PDF Format)

EA 2.1 Reading proficiency for children ages 9, 13, and 17
EA 2.2 Mathematics proficiency for children ages 9, 13, and 17
EA 2.3 Science proficiency for children ages 9, 13, and 17
EA 2.4 Arts proficiency for children in grade 8

EA 3.1 Family-child engagement in literacy activities
EA 3.2 Reading habits of children and youth
EA 3.3 Parental involvement in child's school
EA 3.4 Difficulty speaking English
EA 3.5 Student computer use

Part II:

CHANGES IN RISK-TAKING AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS 1991-1997:
Evidence from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (In PDF Format)

by Scott Boggess, Laura Duberstein Lindberg, and Laura Porter

Part III:

MULTIPLE THREATS:
The Co-Occurrence of Teen Health Risk Behaviors (In PDF Format)

by Laura Duberstein Lindberg, Scott Boggess, Sean Williams

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