Summary health statistics for U.S. children: National Health Interview Survey, 1997.

OBJECTIVE This report presents statistics from the 1997 National Health Interview Survey on selected health measures for sample children under 18 years of age, classified by sex, age, race/ethnicity, family structure, parent's education, family income, poverty status, health insurance coverage, place of residence, region, and current health status. The topics covered are asthma, allergies, learning disability, Attention Deficit Disorder, use of medication, respondent- assessed health status, school-loss days, usual source of medical care, time since last contact with a health care professional, selected health care risk factors, and time since last dental contact. SOURCE OF DATA The NHIS is a multistage probability sample survey conducted annually by interviewers of the U. S. Census Bureau for the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is representative of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States. Data are collected during face-to-face interviews with adults present at the time of interview. Information about children is collected for one sample child per family in face-to-face interviews with an adult proxy respondent familiar with the child's health. HIGHLIGHTS In 1997, most U.S. children under 18 years of age enjoyed excellent or very good health (82%). However, 13% of children had no health insurance coverage, and 6% of children had no usual place of medical care. The percent of children with unmet medical need was twice as high in single-mother families (4%) as in two-parent families (2%). Eleven percent of children had ever been diagnosed with asthma. An estimated 8% of children 3-17 years of age had a learning disability, and an estimated 6% of children had Attention Deficit Disorder.