LAUSR

The North Carolina Child Health Report Card, issued annually by the North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM) and NC Child, tracks key indicators of child health and well-being in four areas: Healthy Births, Access to Care, Secure Homes and Neighborhoods, and Health Risk Factors. The report provides data on such health concerns and risk factors as asthma, teen births, infant mortality, poverty, and child deaths. Family financial security is one of the most impactful determinants of children's health, and children who live in poverty, particularly during early childhood, are at risk of poor health outcomes throughout their lives. Children from low-income families fare worse in almost every indicator of health, including birth outcomes, access to care, health-risk behaviors, and mortality. These children are also often exposed to high levels of toxic stress, which can have a negative impact on brain development and can contribute to behavioral, social, emotional, and health problems later in life. Children living in financially secure families are more likely to achieve educational success and grow to be healthy, self-sufficient adults. Unfortunately, not all of North Carolina's kids have the benefits that come from living in financially secure families. Almost half of North Carolina's children live in poor or low-income households (defined as income less than 200% of the federal poverty level), and one-third live in households that spend more than 30% of income on housing. In addition, 14% of children live in high-poverty neighborhoods; these children are more likely to be exposed to neighborhood violence and…