A new report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America finds that across the country and within every state, there are substantial shortfalls in the health of children based on their family’s income and education. The report, America’s Health Starts with Healthy Children: How Do States Compare? is the first to rank states on infant mortality and children’s health status based on key social factors. Among its key findings is that as parent’s income and levels of education rise, children’s health improves.
The release of the state-by-state report coincided with the launch of a new online tool from the Commission that lets viewers see firsthand the links between education and mortality for states and most counties. The Education and Health Calculator is an interactive tool that lets users examine the current level of education in their own county or state and observe what might happen to death rates if a larger proportion of the population attended college.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America is a national, independent non-partisan group of leaders tasked with seeking ways to improve the health of all Americans. Launched in February 2008, the Commission is investigating how factors outside the health care system—such as income, education and environment—shape and affect opportunities to live healthy lives.
