Demographic and Social Trends Affecting the Health of Children in the United States

This article provides information on key demographic, social, and economic characteristics of children in the United States that affect the child's health and access to health insurance. The data, drawn principally from the March 1999 supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS), focus on racial/ethnic groups and generational categories (ie, immigrants, US natives with foreign-born parents, and US natives with native parents). The article investigates the relationship of socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, and generation to self-reported health status, health insurance coverage, and use of Medicaid. In general, racial/ethnic minority children and children of immigrants report being in worse health and are less likely to have health insurance than are white, non-Hispanic children and children of US natives. However, much of the difference can be explained by income differences across the racial/ethnic and generation groups. Citizenship of a child's parents is also a key factor in health insurance coverage. The article closes with a discussion of how likely demographic trends over the next 10–25 years may affect these factors, especially noting the competing demands of children and the elderly on the future working-age population.