More educated parents have healthier kids

Utahns may like to laud its child-oriented culture, but the levels of health for most Utah children fall far short — no matter how educated or advantaged their parents are, according to a landmark survey released last week.

The state-by-state report Reaching America's Health Potential Among Adults by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which links a good education with better health, shows the state lagging behind in several predictors of children's capacity to become and stay healthy adults.

Utah ranks 19th among states, based on the gap in children's general health status by family income.

Nearly 11 percent of Utah children are in less than optimal health, and nearly 5 percent of children in well-educated households aren't nearly as healthy as they should be, according to the report. Children in Utah families at all income and education levels overshot the 3.5 percent less-than-optimal health benchmark the country should be hitting, according to the report. Only one state, Colorado, has attained that level so far, the report concludes.

The data show that the lower the education of the parents, the worse their children's chances are of being healthy during childhood and over their own lifetimes.

Utah children in households without a high school graduate are approximately six times as likely to be in less than optimal health as children living with an adult who has completed some college.

Utah children in poor families are more than four times as likely to be in less than optimal health as children in higher income families.

The report, which statistically correlates the logical notion that the better someone's education, the better their health and longevity, shows that there is more to good health than health care, said Alice M. Rivlin, co-chairwoman of the foundation's special commission that oversaw the research.

"Access to affordable, high-quality medical care is essential, but that alone will not improve the health of all Americans," Rivlin said. "What this report tells us is that education has a tremendous impact on how long and how well we live. Policymakers need to focus on schools and education, as well as promoting healthier homes, communities and workplaces, to improve the health of our nation."

Utah is generally in the middle of the pack nationwide for child well-being, but it has the second worst infant mortality rate with 5.1 deaths per 1,000 births, the report states. The rate is a point lower than the national average, but it's nearly two points higher than the report's benchmark rate researchers deem acceptable for a healthy society — 3.2 deaths per 1,000 live births.