June 13, 2006
Not everyone's growing up healthy
William G. Andrekopoulos, superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools, writes about health disparity in his city.
A few highlights:
• Forty-one percent of children in Milwaukee live in poverty; triple the state total and fourth highest in the nation.
• Untreated tooth decay reaches epidemic proportions in the City of Milwaukee. In 2005, 572 Head Start children were screened, and 61% were found to have untreated decay with 10% needing urgent dental care.• The rate of lead poisoning among Wisconsin children is more than twice the national average. And in some Milwaukee neighborhoods, nearly 1 out of every 4 children have elevated lead levels. Lead poisoning has been associated with behavior problems, health problems and school performance and learning problems.
• In 2003, asthma surveillance in Milwaukee Public Schools indicated an asthma prevalence rate of at least 14% - higher than the prevalence rate range of 5.3% to 13% in the 22 states measured by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey.