To provide fuller detail on disparities in child health, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies undertook an examination of how child health indicators vary by sociodemographic characteristics. Comparisons are made for the health indicators including low birthweight, health status, unmet dental care needs, ADHD/ADD diagnosis, lifetime asthma diagnosis, learning disability diagnosis, and activity limitation. The findings for black children and white children are provided in this brief.

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To provide fuller detail on disparities in child health, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies undertook an examination of how selected child health indicators vary by sociodemographic characteristics such as family type, educational attainment of householder, employment status of household, poverty status, and health insurance coverage. This brief examines disparities in the prevalence of reported low birthweight among children under the age of 18 who are African American, Hispanic or white. Comparisons of low-birthweight frequency are made between the racial/ethnic groups of children overall and between children of various racial/ethnic groups in families with comparable sociodemographic characteristics.

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To better understand the issues and to inform its deliberation in formulating recommendations for policy, research, and practice, the Infant Mortality Commission asked experts in various fields related to maternal and child health and infant mortality to prepare background papers on specific issues. This background paper examines the critical relationship between breastfeeding and infant mortality among African Americans, the racial/ethnic group with the lowest rate of breastfeeding. The authors explore the benefits of breastfeeding and the issues associated with racial/ethnic disparities in breastfeeding, concluding with an action plan for closing the gap through promotion of breastfeeding based on education, training, awareness, support, and research. This analysis complements and reinforces the recommendations of other Courage to Love: Infant Mortality Commission background and framing papers on infant mortality and maternal nutrition; infant mortality and resilience; the historical framework of policies and practices to reduce infant mortality; the authentic voices of those affected by infant mortality; and infant mortality in a global context.

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To assess and ultimately help meet the needs of youth who age out of foster care in the United States, the Joint Center Health Policy Institute (JCHPI)—with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and in partnership with the Black Administrators in Child Welfare Inc. (BACW)—conducted reconnaissance on the unmet needs of these youth. This project was undertaken to guide the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in thinking about steps they might take to help meet the needs of youth who age out of foster care in this country. Conducting a literature review, a telephone survey, and listening sessions enabled us to develop insights into the workings of the foster care system and the experiences of youth while in the system and when aging out of it.

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The executive summary for this publication can be found here.