Study: More children living in poverty

from Traverse City Record Eagle

By Lindsay VanHulle
lvanhulle@record-eagle.com

TRAVERSE CITY -- Children in northwest Lower Michigan increasingly lived in poverty during the first half of this decade, new state health data show.

The 13 counties in the Record-Eagle's coverage area all posted increases in the number of children from birth to 17 years of age who lived at or below the poverty level from 2000 to 2004, according to the 2007 Kids Count in Michigan Data Book.

The data, to be released today, show gains still are needed to improve children's well-being across the state.

The annual survey, conducted by the nonprofit Michigan League for Human Services, compares Michigan's data to a set of national benchmarks established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Regional immunization rates assessed last year largely bettered both the state average and U.S. goals, and all 13 local counties' teen pregnancy rates in 2005 were below the national benchmark of 43 percent per 1,000 teen girls ages 15-17.

But the findings aren't all good. Although Michigan has improved in most areas surveyed, the gains often are small. And in some cases -- such as low birth weights, which rose from 2000 to 2005 throughout nearly the entire region -- the situation in fact has worsened.

"We're not making the same kinds of improvements in basic care and basic needs as these children are growing up," said Jane Zehnder-Merrell, a senior research associate with the league.

Children's health depends not only on access to medical care, but also on the conditions of their families, neighborhoods and communities, she said. She added that studies have shown childhood poverty can lead to high-risk behaviors and other poor health conditions.

"If you're below poverty-level income, you're living in really desperate circumstances," she said. "These are very difficult times for families."

Locally, Crawford County has the highest rate of children living in poverty, at 21.5 percent, the data show. Leelanau County has the lowest, at 10.5 percent, while Grand Traverse County is at 11.6 percent. The statewide rate is 17.3 percent.

The Grand Traverse/Leelanau Department of Human Services has seen a greater number of people seeking assistance in recent years, director Mary Marois said.

Although more people were living in poverty in 2004 than in 2000, Marois said she thinks the region avoided a significant upswing due to a community-wide, poverty-reduction initiative that tries to help people find work and other opportunities.