The current state of our children’s health and wellness is not good — and it’s getting worse.
- Percent of kids living in poverty: Dallas County 24% | Collin County 10%
- Percent of kids who don’t have health insurance: Dallas County 21% | Collin County nearly 10%
- Percent of kids with inadequate food and nutrition: Dallas County 28% | Collin County 20%
- Percent of kids living in a single-parent home: Dallas County 33% | Collin County 20%
- Percent of kids who are overweight/obese: Dallas County 34% | Collin County 10%
- Number of kids who have asthma: Dallas County 60,000 | Collin County 30,000
Poor health in children is often tied to other issues, like education and poverty. Take asthma, for example. The costs of this chronic condition are high: medical expenses, lost productivity, sick days and missed school days are among them.For any one organization, the challenge is too great; and for the entire community, the cost of continued failure is devastating.
The Alliance’s goal is to bend trends and improve the overall health and well-being of all children. Our efforts started with an asthma initiative in Dallas County.
60,000 children in Dallas have asthma — that’s nearly 9% of all Dallas children.
In 2010, 3 children per day visited a Dallas County hospital for their asthma.
In Texas, 54% of children with asthma missed at least one school day per year because of their condition.
The cost of unmanaged asthma in Dallas (to families and medical facilities) is estimated at $60M per year.