Indicators of Welfare Dependence, 1997

EMPLOYMENT AND WORK-RELATED RISK FACTOR 6. CHILDREN'S HEALTH CONDITIONS

Health limitations may limit the labor force participation of parents and therefore illustrate a risk of dependence.

Table WORK 6. Selected Chronic Health Conditions per 1,000 Children

Age 0 to 17, 1984 - 1994

	1984	1987	1990	1992	1993	1994
Respiratory Conditions
Chronic Bronchitis	50	62	53	54	59	55
Chronic Sinusitis	47	58	57	69	80	65
Asthma	43	53	58	63	72	69
Chronic Diseases of Tonsils or Adenoids	34	30	23	28	26	23
Impairments
Deformity or Orthopedic Impairment	35	36	29	33	29	28
Speech Impairment	16	19	14	21	20	21
Hearing Impairment	24	16	21	15	17	18
Visual Impairment	9	10	9	10	7	9
Other Conditions
Heart Disease	23	22	29	29	20	18
Anemia	11	8	10	11	9	12
Epilepsy	7	4	4	3	5	5

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Trends in the Well-Being of America's Children and Youth: 1997. Table HC 2.4.

• Respiratory conditions were the most prevalent chronic health conditions experienced by children age 0 to 17 throughout the time period, especially asthma. In 1994, 69 children per thousand had asthma. This is up from 43 children per thousand in 1984.
  
• Fewer children age 0 to 17 had a visual impairment compared to other impairments in each year.
  
• In 1994, 18 children per thousand had heart disease. This is down from 29 children per thousand in 1990 and 1992.

EMPLOYMENT AND WORK-RELATED RISK FACTOR 7. CHILD CARE EXPENDITURES

Proportion of total family income spent on child care in families with employed mothers is an important dimension of the risk of dependency.

• Poor families with employed mothers of preschoolers spent a much larger percentage of their monthly family income on child care, relative to non-poor families with employed mothers (18 percent compared to 7 percent).
  
• As shown in Table WORK 7, employed single mothers (no husband present) spent a larger percentage of their monthly family income on child care expenses than did employed married mothers.
  
• Table WORK 7 shows that employed mothers who received assistance from AFDC, WIC or Food Stamps spent a larger percentage of their total monthly family income on child care relative to non-recipients (13 percent compared to 7 percent). Of recipients, those that received AFDC spent the largest percent of their monthly family income on child care.

Table WORK 7. Percent of Monthly Income Spent on Child Care for

Preschoolers by Families with Employed Mothers, 1993

All Families	7.6
Racial Categories
Non-Hispanic White	7.4
Non-Hispanic Black	8.5
Hispanic	9.0
Marital Status
Married, Husband Present	7.0
Widowed, Separated, Divorced	12.3
Never Married	12.5
Poverty Status
Poor	17.7
Non-Poor	7.3
Program Participation
Recipient	12.8
AFDC	17.1
WIC	12.3
Food Stamps	14.6
Non-Recipient	7.3

Note: Non-recipients are those in families not receiving AFDC, general assistance, Food Stamps or WIC.

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, "What Does It Cost to Mind Our Preschoolers," Current Population Reports, Series P70-52, 1995.

EMPLOYMENT AND WORK-RELATED RISK FACTOR 8. EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Completed schooling is one measure of job-skill level. Individuals with no more than a high school education have the lowest amount of human capital and are at the greatest risk of becoming poor despite their work effort. This risk factor tracks the trend in educational attainment.

• Since 1970 there has been a marked decline in the percentage of the population with less than a high school education, dropping from 45 percent in 1970 to 20 percent in 1993.
• The percentage of the population completing four or more years of college doubled from 1970 to 1993, rising steadily from 11 to 22 percent.
• The percentage of the population receiving a high school education but with no subsequent college fluctuated only slightly from 1970 until 1993.
• Since 1970 there has been a consistent increase in the percentage of the population with one to three years of college rising from 11 to 18 percent.

Table WORK 8. Percent of Adults Age 25 and over

by Level of Educational Attainment

	1970	1975	1980	1985	1990	1991	1992	1993
Less than High School	45	37	31	26	22	22	21	20
Finished High School, No College	34	36	37	38	38	39	36	35
One to Three Years of College	10	12	15	16	18	18	22	23
Four or More Years of College	11	14	17	19	21	21	21	22

Note: Completing the GED is not considered completing high school within this table. Beginning with data for 1992, a new question results in different categories than for earlier years. Data shown as 'High School, 4 years' is now collected by the category 'High School Graduate.' Data shown as 'College 1 to 3 years,' is now collected by 'Some College;' and two 'Associate Degree' categories. Data shown as 'College 4 years or more,' is now collected by the categories, 'Bachelor's Degree; Master's Degree;' 'Doctorate Degree;' 'Professional Degree.'

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, "Educational Attainment in the United States: March 1993 and 1992," Current Population Reports, Series P20-476, 1994.

EMPLOYMENT AND WORK-RELATED RISK FACTOR 9. HIGH-SCHOOL DROPOUT RATES

Although some teens who drop out of high school eventually graduate or obtain GEDS, dropout rates are reliable risk factors associated with teen problem behavior and future economic problems.

• Drop-out rates peaked in 1980 but declined over the next decade. After 1990, trends for white teens and all teens increased slightly, while trends for Hispanic and black teens increased more unevenly.
• The high school drop-out rate was highest for Hispanic teens. White teens had a much lower drop-out rate.

Table WORK 9. Percent of Students Enrolled in Grades 10 to 12 in the Previous Year who were not Enrolled and had not Graduated in the Survey Year

	1975	1980	1985	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994
Total	5.8	6.1	5.2	4.0	4.0	4.4	4.5	5.3
White	5.0	5.2	4.3	3.3	3.2	3.7	3.9	4.2
Black	8.7	8.2	7.8	5.0	6.0	5.0	5.8	6.6
Hispanic	10.9	11.7	9.8	7.9	7.3	8.2	6.7	10.0

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Trends in the Well-Being of America's Children and Youth: 1997. Table EA 1.4.

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Updated: 11/29/01