Family Income Impacts Children's Health

Dr. David L. Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine, agreed that household income is key.

"A lot of detailed information in this compelling report distills down to a simple and rather common sense message: the fewer social and economic advantages enjoyed by a household, the worse the health of the children being raised there," Katz said. "Babies born to households deficient in education and income are more likely to die in infancy and less likely to experience optimal health," he added.

This report is a tale of trickle-down disparities, Katz said. "Disadvantaged parents raise children disadvantaged from the start with regard to both health and survival," he said.

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The problem of disparities is clear, but the solution is much less so, Katz said.

"Can we get all children born in the U.S. to experience a uniform opportunity for survival and optimal health? Perhaps, but only with real dedication to a mission that will be neither quickly nor easily accomplished," he said.

More information

To see the full report, visit the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.