Infant mortality, pre-term birth, teenage pregnancy, children living in smokers' homes all drop even as as child poverty goes up

Nationwide, the rates of infants who die, babies who are born prematurely, teens who are having babies, and the percentage of young children who live in a home where someone smokes have all decreased in the last five years. But the percentage of kids who live in poverty has gone up.

These findings are some highlights of the report "America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2012," compiled by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. The report, which does not break down data by state, looks at children's demographic backgrounds, family and social environments, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education and health.

"This year's report contains good news about newborns," said Dr. Alan E. Guttmacher, director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. "Fewer infants were born pre-term and fewer died in the first year of life."

Among other findings: In the last five years there has been a five-fold increase in the percentage of teens who have received the vaccine that prevents the most dangerous form of meningitis. Other key findings show:
• A drop in the percentage of children who live in homes that are classified as food insecure.
• A drop in the percentage of teens ages 16 to 19 who don't work and are not enrolled in high school or college.
• A rise in the percentage of children from birth to age 17 who live in counties in which one or more air pollutants were above allowable levels.
• An increase of one statistical point in the average math scores for 4th and 8th graders from 2009 to 2011. For a quick glance at the findings, click here. (Read more)

Teens turning to flavored cigars

A study shows teens are dispensing with cigarettes and turning to flavored mini-cigars with fun flavors — strawberry, chocolate, vanilla — enticing to young palates. (National Cigar Museum picture) "Young smokers say these cigarette-size little cigars and cigarillos — slimmer versions of big cigars — look better and can be bought one at a time instead of spending more than $5 for a pack of cigarettes," writes Lena H. Sun of The Washington Post. "Many teens also think that they are less addictive."

After cigarettes, cigar smoking is the second most common tobacco product used by youth nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 14 percent of high school students smoke them (18.6 percent among boys and 8.8 percent among girls). Though the Food and Drug Administration banned flavored cigarettes in 2009, it did not apply to cigars. They are only available to adults 18 and older, but many stores in Kentucky do not ask for ID.

In many states, mini cigars are taxed less than cigarettes. Federal excise tax is about 39 cents on a pack of 20 cigarettes. The tax on cigars that are the size of cigarettes is 4 cents for a pack of 20. In Kentucky, the tax rate on a pack of 20 cigarettes is 60 cents. Other tobacco products, including cigars, are taxed 15 percent.

While more enticing and less expensive, they are just as dangerous as cigarettes. "You have the same cancer-causing chemicals but wrapped in flavors that don't let you experience the harsh sensation of cigar or tobacco use," said Donald Shell, interim director for Maryland's Center for Health Promotion, Education, Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation. (Read more For a fact sheet on mini-cigars, on the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services' website, click here.