1. Children's Health Index
The percentages of infants at risk are based on the number of births used to calculate the health index, not the actual number of births. The percentage of complete and usable birth records used to calculate the 1995 health index varied from a high of 99.81 to a low of 69.24. Four states (California, Indiana, New York, and South Dakota) did not collect information on all four risks in 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1994; five states (California, Indiana, New York, Oklahoma, and South Dakota) did not collect information on all four risks in 1990. These states and the territories are not included in the U.S. total. New Hampshire was included in the U.S. total but not in the race/ethnicity totals because the state does not collect information on Hispanic origin. Minority populations may be underrepresented due to the exclusion of the four states (five states in 1990), particularly California and New York; therefore, the risk factors by race/ethnicity should be interpreted with caution.
The National Center for Health Statistics notes that alcohol use during pregnancy, which is one of the measures used to calculate the Children's Health Index, is likely to be underreported on the birth certificate.
Source: Nicholas Zill and Christine Winquist, Nord of Westat developed the concept of the Children's Health Index. Stephanie Ventura and Sally Clarke of the National Center for Health Statistics provided the special tabulations of the 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1995 birth certificate data needed to produce the index, July 1997.
2. Immunizations
The Goals Panel reports data from 1994 as the baseline year for immunizations. This was the first year for which data were collected using the National Immunization Survey (NIS). In prior years, the Centers for Disease Control collected data on immunization using the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The Goals Panel does not compare data from NIS and NHIS, due to methodological differences between the two instruments.
Sources: 1994 National Immunization Survey, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, August 25, 1995, 619; unpublished tabulations from Abt Associates, July 1997.
1995 National Immunization Survey, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, February 28, 1997, 177.
1996 National Immunization Survey, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, July 25, 1997, 658; unpublished tabulations from Abt Associates, July 1997.
3. Family-Child Reading and Storytelling
The population estimates for the National Household Education Survey (NHES) cover 3- to 5-year-old children who are not yet enrolled in kindergarten. Age from the NHES:93 was established as of January 1, 1993; age from the NHES:95 was established as of December 31, 1994; and age from the NHES:96 was established as of December 31, 1995.
In the NHES:93, information on daily reading was collected using two approaches with split-half samples. The two approaches did not result in significantly different estimates for daily reading among 3- to 5-year-old preschoolers. A combined measure using both items for NHES:93 is included in this report.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Household Education Survey: 1993 School Readiness Interview, unpublished tabulations prepared by Westat, August 1994.
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Household Education Survey: 1994 Program Participation Interview, unpublished tabulations prepared by Westat, August 1995.
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Household Education Survey: 1996 parent Interview, unpublished tabulations prepared by Wests, August 1996.
4. Preschool Participation
The population estimates for the NHES cover 3- to 5-year-old children who are not yet enrolled in kindergarten. Age from the NHES:91 was established as of January 1, 1991; age from the NHES:93 was established as of January 1, 1993; age from the NHES:95 was established as of December 31, 1994; and age from the NHES:96 was established as of December 31, 1995. Preschool participation includes children enrolled in any center-based program.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Household Education Survey: 1991 Early Childhood Component, unpublished tabulations prepared by Westat, August 1994.
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Household Education Survey: 1993 School Readiness Interview, unpublished tabulations prepared by Westat, August 1994.
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Household Education Survey: 1995 Program Participation Interview, unpublished tabulations prepared by Westat, August 1995.
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Household Education Survey: 1996 Parent Interview, unpublished tabulations prepared by Westat, August 1996.
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February 16, 1998