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Do you want to raise happy and healthy children? These are the states that need to do that

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Do you want to raise happy and healthy children? These are the states that need to do that

ATLANTA, GA., June 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — New research shows that Connecticut (1), Massachusetts (2) and New York (3) have the happiest and healthiest child populations, while Mississippi (50) and South Africa have the happiest and healthiest child populations. Carolina (49) has the least.

VocoVision has released the Happy Child Index, which ranks all 50 states based on ten factors that impact children’s mental and physical health, to better understand the disparities in mental and physical health supports for children in communities and schools across the country to understand.

Connecticut (1), the overall happiest and healthiest state for children, has the fifth highest percentage of children living in neighborhoods with a library. Additionally, children in the state have the sixth-best access to parks and recreation facilities in the country.

Connecticut has the fifth-lowest youth suicide rate and seventh-best mental health provider by population, meaning children and teens in the state get the support they need to stay in school, start careers and live healthy lives to lead.

The Top 10 Happiest and Healthiest States for Kids

  1. Connecticut
  2. Massachusetts
  3. New York
  4. Maryland
  5. Rhode Island
  6. Illinois
  7. Utah
  8. New Jersey
  9. Nebraska
  10. Minnesota

Mississippi (50) ranks last among the happiest and healthiest states for children with the second-worst access to healthy food and the second-worst access to parks and recreation facilities.

The number of children in the state living in neighborhoods with access to a library is also the second-lowest in the country. Mississippi also has the second-lowest percentage of children in the state getting the recommended age-appropriate hours of sleep.

The state has the seventh highest percentage of disconnected youth, with 8.73% of teens and young adults ages 16 to 19 neither working nor attending school, putting them at increased risk of violence and emotional deficits.

Additional Findings:

  • Massachusetts (2) has the highest number of mental health providers per population, with one provider per 145 residents.
  • New Jersey (8) has the highest percentage of children living in neighborhoods with a library, at 83.9%.
  • Children inside Utah (7) get the most sleep, with 74.9% of children getting the recommended age-appropriate hours of sleep each night.
  • Louisiana (43) is the easiest state to find mental health care or counseling for children. However, Louisiana has the fourth highest rate of disconnected youth in the country at 10%, and the state has the third worst access to healthy food.
  • Alaska (44) has the highest youth suicide rate and the highest percentage of unconnected youth in the country.
  • Children inside New York (3) have the best access to healthy food in the country. The state also offers the third-best access to libraries, the eighth-best access to parks and the fourth-lowest youth suicide rate.

The analysis is based on the following ten categories: access to neighborhood libraries; quality of children’s sleep; access to mental health providers and child care providers; ratio of mental health care provider to population; suicide rate among young people; disconnected youth rate; access to parks and recreational facilities, such as a YMCA; access to healthy food; level of difficulty children experience in making friends; and air pollution.

VocoVision Vice President Jessica Marlow said:

“At VocoVision, we believe that every child, regardless of geographic location, deserves equal access to resources, care and opportunities to promote their overall well-being. The Happy Child Index provides an in-depth analysis of the crucial aspects that impact our children’s daily lives, such as access to quality healthcare, nutritious food and emotional support networks. By exploring these factors, we aim to spark a national conversation about the importance of understanding and addressing the diverse needs of children across communities,” said Marlow.

For a complete look at where each state ranks in the index, visit the Happy Child Index here.

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About VocoVisie
Founded in 2011, VocoVision’s mission is to find resourceful solutions to ensure that education and special services become more accessible. VocoVision offers an advanced network that allows schools and school districts to connect with highly qualified teachers and therapists in any part of the country. VocoVision’s teleservice solutions enable students to experience the face-to-face connections they need to break down barriers and go further than they ever imagined. For more information, visit vocovision.com.

Methodology
For the full methodology, please visit the Happy Child Index. The ten categories and data sources used in the Happy Child Index include:

  1. Limited access to healthy food: Percentage of the population that has a low income and does not live near a supermarket in 2019. Retrieved from USDA Food Environment Atlas.
  2. Ratio of Mental Health Providers: Ratio of population to mental health providers, retrieved from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) National Provider Identification Registry.
  3. Suicide rate in the age group 15-24 years: The average number of deaths from intentional self-harm per 100,000 in the age group 15-24 years during the period 2018-2021, obtained from the CDC National Center for Health Statistics National Vital Statistics System.
  4. Disconnected Youth Rate: Percentage of teens and young adults ages 16 to 19 who are neither working nor attending school, and therefore at increased risk for violence, smoking, alcohol and marijuana use, and possibly emotional deficits and less cognitive and academic skills than their peers who are working and/or in school, obtained from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), five-year estimates.
  5. Access to exercise: Percentage of population with adequate access to physical activity locations such as public parks and exercise facilities, retrieved from Business Analyst, ESRI, YMCA, and US Census Tigerline Files.
  6. Air pollution: Average daily density of fine particulate matter in micrograms per cubic meter (PM2.5), obtained from the CDC’s National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network.
  7. Access to Friendships: Percentage of respondents who choose “No difficulty making or keeping friends” in response to the question, “How much difficulty does this child ages 6 to 17 have, compared to other children their age?” Retrieved from the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. 2022 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) data query.
  8. Children’s sleep quality: Percentage of children (ages 3-17) getting the recommended age-appropriate hours of sleep each night, obtained from the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. 2022 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) data query.
  9. Access to neighborhood libraries: Percentage of children living in neighborhoods with a library or bookmobile. Retrieved from the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. 2022 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) data query.
  10. Access to mental health care for children: Percentage of respondents who say getting the mental health care or guidance this child (ages 3-17) needed was not difficult. Retrieved from the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. 2022 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) data query.

  • Best states for children’s mental health