© 2024 Wyoming Public Media
800-729-5897 | 307-766-4240
Wyoming Public Media is a service of the University of Wyoming
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Transmission & Streaming Disruptions

Wyoming Falls In Child Well-Being Rankings

Elizabeth Albert via Flickr Creative Commons

Wyoming has dropped several spots in its ranking in a national report on children’s well-being.

The 2014 Kids Count Index ranked Wyoming 19th in the country, down from 15th last year. The report weighs several factors. Wyoming earned a sixth place ranking for children’s economic well-being, but ranked 45th in health.

Some of the factors contributing to that low ranking include rates of teen alcohol abuse, the number of children without health insurance, and the number of babies born underweight.

Kim Deti with the Wyoming Department of Health says low birth weight is an issue her Department has been monitoring.

“Some of the issues that affect that do include—unfortunately—women who may smoke during their pregnancies or drink too much alcohol during their pregnancies,” said Deti. “And just, maybe not gaining enough weight. So, it’s really about prenatal care and making good decisions and choices during pregnancy.”

The Foundation behind the report says the gap between Wyoming’s economic well-being and health was among the largest of any state found in this year’s data.

Related Content