Fruit, Vegetable, and Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake Among Young Children, by State - United States, 2021.

Good nutrition in early childhood supports optimal growth, development, and health (1). Federal guidelines support a dietary pattern with daily fruit and vegetable consumption and limited added sugars, including limited consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (1). Government-published dietary intake estimates for young children are outdated at the national level and unavailable at the state level. CDC analyzed data from the 2021 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH)* to describe how frequently, according to parent report, children aged 1-5 years (18,386) consumed fruits, vegetables, and sugar-sweetened beverages, nationally and by state. During the preceding week, approximately one in three (32.1%) children did not eat a daily fruit, nearly one half (49.1%) did not eat a daily vegetable, and more than one half (57.1%) drank a sugar-sweetened beverage at least once. Estimates of consumption varied by state. In 20 states, more than one half of children did not eat a vegetable daily during the preceding week. In Vermont, 30.4% of children did not eat a daily vegetable during the preceding week, compared with 64.3% in Louisiana. In 40 states and the District of Columbia, more than one half of children drank a sugar-sweetened beverage at least once during the preceding week. The percentage of children drinking sugar-sweetened beverages at least once during the preceding week ranged from 38.6% in Maine to 79.3% in Mississippi. Many young children are not consuming fruits and vegetables daily and are regularly consuming sugar-sweetened beverages. Federal nutrition programs and state policies and programs can support improvements in diet quality by increasing access to and availability of fruits and vegetables and healthy beverages in places where young children live, learn, and play.

The Design and Implementation of the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health.

Introduction Since 2001, the Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau (HRSA MCHB) has funded and directed the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) and the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN), unique sources of national and state-level data on child health and health care. Between 2012 and 2015, HRSA MCHB redesigned the surveys, combining content into a single survey, and shifting from a periodic interviewer-assisted telephone survey to an annual self-administered web/paper-based survey utilizing an address-based sampling frame. Methods The U.S. Census Bureau fielded the redesigned NSCH using a random sample of addresses drawn from the Census Master Address File, supplemented with a unique administrative flag to identify households most likely to include children. Data were collected June 2016-February 2017 using a multi-mode design, encouraging web-based responses while allowing for paper mail-in responses. A parent/caregiver knowledgeable about the child's health completed an age-appropriate questionnaire. Experiments on incentives, branding, and contact strategies were conducted. Results Data were released in September 2017. The final sample size was 50,212 children; the overall weighted response rate was 40.7%. Comparison of 2016 estimates to those from previous survey iterations are not appropriate due to sampling and mode changes. Discussion The NSCH remains an invaluable data source for key measures of child health and attendant health care system, family, and community factors. The redesigned survey extended the utility of this resource while seeking a balance between previous strengths and innovations now possible.

Recognizing Excellence in Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Epidemiology: The 2014 National MCH Epidemiology Awards.

PURPOSE: The impact of programs, policies, and practices developed by professionals in the field of maternal and child health (MCH) epidemiology is highlighted biennially by 16 national MCH agencies and organizations, or the Coalition for Excellence in MCH Epidemiology. DESCRIPTION: In September 2014, multiple leading agencies in the field of MCH partnered to host the national CityMatCH Leadership and MCH Epidemiology Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. The conference offered opportunities for peer exchange; presentation of new scientific methodologies, programs, and policies; dialogue on changes in the MCH field; and discussion of emerging MCH issues relevant to the work of local, state, and national MCH professionals. During the conference, the National MCH Epidemiology Awards were presented to individuals, teams, institutions, and leaders for significantly contributing to the improved health of women, children, and families. ASSESSMENT: During the conference, the Coalition presented seven deserving health researchers and research groups with national awards in the areas of advancing knowledge, effective practice, outstanding leadership, young professional achievement, and lifetime achievement. The article highlights the accomplishments of these national-level awardees. CONCLUSION: Recognition of deserving professionals strengthens the field of MCH epidemiology, and sets the standard for exceptional research, mentoring, and practice.

Assessing systems quality in a changing health care environment: the 2009-10 national survey of children with special health care needs.

To provide a national, population-based assessment of the quality of the health care system for children and youth with special health care needs using a framework of six health care system quality indicators. 49,242 interviews with parents of children with special health care needs from the 2009-10 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN) were examined to determine the extent to which CSHCN had access to six quality indicators of a well-functioning system of services. Criteria for determining access to each indicator were established and applied to the survey data to estimate the proportion of CSHCN meeting each quality indicator by socio-demographic status and functional limitations. 17.6% of CSHCN received care consistent with all six quality indicators. Results for each component of the system quality framework ranged from a high of 70.3% of parents reporting that they shared decision-making with healthcare providers to a low of 40% of parents reporting receipt of services needed for transition to adult health care. Attainment rates were lower for CSHCN of minority racial and ethnic groups, those residing in households where English was not the primary language, those in lower income households, and those most impacted by their health condition. Only a small proportion of CSHCN receive all identified attributes of a high-quality system of services. Moreover, significant disparities exist whereby those most impacted by their conditions and those in traditionally disadvantaged groups are served least well by the current system. A small proportion of CSHCN appear to remain essentially outside of the system, having met few if any of the elements studied.

Healthy people 2010 leading health indicators: how children with special health care needs fared.

OBJECTIVES: We compared estimates for children with and without special health care needs (SHCN) at 2 time periods for national health objectives related to the Healthy People 2010 leading health indicators (LHIs). METHODS: Data were from the 2003 and 2007 National Surveys of Children's Health. Seven survey items were relevant to the LHIs and available in both survey years: physical activity, obesity, household tobacco use, current insurance, personal health care provider, past-month depressive symptoms, and past-year emergency department visits. RESULTS: In 2003 and 2007, children with SHCN fared worse than those without SHCN with respect to physical activity, obesity, household tobacco exposure, depressive symptomology, and emergency department visits, but fared better on current insurance and having a personal health care provider. Physical activity and access to a personal health care provider increased for all children, whereas the absolute disparity in personal provider access decreased 4.9%. CONCLUSIONS: Significant disparities exist for key population health indicators between children with and without SHCN. Analyses illustrated how population-based initiatives could be used to frame health challenges among vulnerable populations.

Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditures Among United States Children: Parental Perceptions and Past-Year Expenditures, 2016 to 2017.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between parental perceptions of out-of-pocket (OOP) health care costs for their child and the total amount of OOP health care expenditures for that child during the past year. METHODS: We used data from the 2016 and 2017 National Surveys of Children's Health, cross-sectional, parent-reported, and nationally representative surveys of noninstitutionalized US children, ages 0 to 17 years. We conducted bivariate analyses to assess characteristics associated with the amount of OOP expenditures and parental perceptions of these costs. We estimated adjusted prevalence ratios for parental perceptions of OOP costs using logistic regression. RESULTS: Based on parent report, nearly two thirds (65.7%) of children incurred some amount of past-year OOP expenditures, with 13.3% of children incurring expenditures of ≥$1000. Parents reported that costs were unreasonable for 35.3% of children with past-year expenditures. The amount of OOP spending was associated with parents' perceptions that costs were unreasonable, with 16.5% of those with $1 to 249 in expenditures reporting unreasonable costs compared to 77.5% of those with >$5,000 in expenditures (P < .05). In adjusted analyses, high OOP expenditures, non-Hispanic white race/ethnicity, lack of health insurance, low household income, parental education levels less than a college degree, and foreign-born nativity status were associated with reports of unreasonable costs (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates an association between attitudinal and economic measures of health care expenditures for children while demonstrating differences in the perception of costs by measures of family economic vulnerability. Results may inform efforts to assess adequacy of health insurance coverage.

Associations Between Health Care Transition Preparation Among Youth in the U.S. and Other Components of a Well-Functioning System of Services.

PURPOSE: This study examines the relationships between receipt of health care transition (HCT) preparation among U.S. youth and five other components of a well-functioning system of services (family partnership in decision-making, medical home, early/continuous screening for special health care needs [SHCN], continuous/adequate health insurance, access to community-based services). METHODS: Data came from the combined 2016-2017 National Survey of Children's Health (n = 29,617 youth ages 12-17). Parents/caregivers answered questions about their child's health care experiences, which were combined to measure receipt of HCT preparation and the other five components of a well-functioning system of services. Unadjusted and adjusted analyses were conducted to examine associations, stratified by youth with and without special health care needs (YSHCN/non-YSHCN). RESULTS: About 16.7% of YSCHN and 13.9% of non-YSHCN received HCT preparation (p = .0040). Additionally, 25.3% of YSHCN and 27.3% of non-YSHCN received all five remaining components of a system of services (p = .1212). HCT preparation was positively associated with receipt of the combined five components among both YSHCN (adjusted prevalence rate ratio = 1.53, 95% confidence interval: 1.20-1.86) and non-YSHCN (adjusted prevalence rate ratio = 1.63, 95% confidence interval: 1.39-1.88). Regarding individual system of services components, early and continuous screening for SHCN was significantly associated with HCT preparation for both populations. For non-YSHCN only, having a medical home was associated with HCT preparation. The remaining three components were not associated with HCT preparation for either population after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Among both YSHCN and non-YSHCN, HCT preparation is positively associated with receipt of early and continuous screening for SHCN as well as the five combined components of a well-functioning system of services.

Changes in prevalence of parent-reported autism spectrum disorder in school-aged U.S. children: 2007 to 2011-2012.

OBJECTIVES: This report presents data on the prevalence of diagnosed autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as reported by parents of school-aged children (ages 6-17 years) in 2011-2012. Prevalence changes from 2007 to 2011-2012 were evaluated using cohort analyses that examine the consistency in the 2007 and 2011-2012 estimates for children whose diagnoses could have been reported in both surveys (i.e., those born in 1994-2005 and diagnosed in or before 2007). DATA SOURCES: Data were drawn from the 2007 and 2011-2012 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH), which are independent nationally representative telephone surveys of households with children. The surveys were conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics with funding and direction from the Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau. RESULTS: The prevalence of parent-reported ASD among children aged 6-17 was 2.00% in 2011-2012, a significant increase from 2007 (1.16%). The magnitude of the increase was greatest for boys and for adolescents aged 14-17. Cohort analyses revealed consistent estimates of both the prevalence of parent-reported ASD and autism severity ratings over time. Children who were first diagnosed in or after 2008 accounted for much of the observed prevalence increase among school-aged children (those aged 6-17). School-aged children diagnosed in or after 2008 were more likely to have milder ASD and less likely to have severe ASD than those diagnosed in or before 2007. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the cohort analyses increase confidence that differential survey measurement error over time was not a major contributor to observed changes in the prevalence of parent-reported ASD. Rather, much of the prevalence increase from 2007 to 2011-2012 for school-aged children was the result of diagnoses of children with previously unrecognized ASD.

Mental health conditions among school-aged children: geographic and sociodemographic patterns in prevalence and treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To explore geographic differences in diagnosed emotional and behavioral mental health conditions and receipt of treatment. METHODS: Data are from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health, a nationally representative, parent-reported, cross-sectional survey. Pediatric mental health conditions were identified using parents' responses to 3 questions regarding whether a health care provider had ever told them that their child had depression, anxiety problems, or behavioral or conduct problems. Parents also reported on past-year treatment or counseling by a mental health professional. State-level differences in condition prevalence were identified using unadjusted and adjusted prevalence estimates. Multivariate logistic regression assessed the odds of not receiving treatment by state and diagnoses. RESULTS: Nearly 8% of children aged 6 to 17 years have ever been diagnosed with depression or anxiety, and 5.4% have ever been diagnosed with behavioral or conduct problems. State-level estimates of parent-reported depression or anxiety varied from 4.8% in Georgia to 14.4% in Vermont, while prevalence of behavioral problems ranged from 3.2% in California to 9.2% in Louisiana. Nearly 10% of all school-aged children and 53.1% of those ever diagnosed with either condition type received past-year treatment. The odds of receiving past-year parent-reported treatment did not differ by state of residence with the exception of Louisiana and Nevada: children ever diagnosed had approximately 2.5 times the odds of not receiving past-year treatment in these states. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of parent-reported mental health disorders among children varies by geographic and sociodemographic factors, while receipt of treatment is generally dependent on sociodemographic and health-related factors.

The medical home: health care access and impact for children and youth in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: The medical home concept encompasses the elements of pediatric care considered essential for all children. We describe here the characteristics of children with medical homes and the relationship between presence of a medical home and selected health care outcomes by using new data from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). METHODS: We used a medical home measure comprising 5 components: having a usual source of care; having a personal physician or nurse; receiving all needed referrals for specialty care; receiving help as needed in coordinating health and health-related care; and receiving family-centered care. A total of 83 448 children aged 1 to 17 years had valid data for all applicable medical home components. The NSCH is a random-digit-dial population-based telephone survey. RESULTS: In 2007, 56.9% of US children aged 1 to 17 years received care in medical homes. Younger children were more likely to have a medical home than their older counterparts. Substantial racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, and health-related disparities were present. Children who received care in medical homes were less likely to have unmet medical and dental needs and were more likely to have annual preventive medical visits. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately half of the children in the United States have access to all components of a pediatric medical home. Because the medical home is increasingly promoted as the standard for provision of high-quality comprehensive health care, these findings reinforce the need to continue and expand federal, state, and community efforts to ensure that all children have access to this model of care.

Factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding in the United States.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the proportions of US infants who were breastfed exclusively for 6 months, according to characteristics of the mother, child, and household environment, and to compare associations between those characteristics and exclusive breastfeeding with associations between those characteristics and breastfeeding initiation. METHODS: Data were obtained from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health, a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey. Multivariate logistic regression was used to calculate the adjusted odds ratios for breastfeeding among all infants and for breastfeeding exclusively for 6 months among infants who had initiated breastfeeding. All analyses were limited to children aged 6 months through 5 years for whom breastfeeding data were available (N = 25 197). RESULTS: Of the nearly 75% of children in the study who had ever been breastfed, 16.8% had been breastfed exclusively for 6 months. Non-Hispanic black children were significantly less likely to have ever been breastfed compared with their non-Hispanic white counterparts (adjusted odds ratio: 0.54 [95% confidence interval: 0.44-0.66]). However, no significant differences in the odds of exclusive breastfeeding according to race were observed. Children with birth weights of <1500 g were most likely to have ever been breastfed and least likely to have been breastfed exclusively. Maternal age was significantly associated with exclusive breastfeeding; however, maternal age was not associated with breastfeeding initiation. CONCLUSIONS: In the United States, the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months remains low among those who initiate breastfeeding. Factors associated with breastfeeding exclusively for 6 months differ from those associated with breastfeeding initiation.