Health

What the research is showing about talking to and about your kids

Kimberly Springer — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:41:05 +0000

Reporting on a University of Connecticut study, The Atlantic prettied up data on how parents around the world describe describe their children.

Sarah Harkness and Charles Super, researchers in human development, found that, according to The Atlantic, "Not only are Americans far more likely to focus on their children's intelligence and cognitive skills, they are also far less likely to describe them as 'happy' or 'easy' children to parent." Harkness called this focus nearly obsessive in that it ignores other aspects of early childhood development.

Smoke if you got 'em: The President's plan to pay for preschool with higher cigarette taxes

Dustin Dwyer — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:50:23 +0000

Yesterday, the White House released its budget proposal for the coming fiscal year, and we got our first detailed look at how the President intends to pay for his plan to make preschool available to all four year olds in the country. Basically, he's going to make smokers pay for it.

First, some bullet points:

Influenza outbreak hits Michigan families hard

Jordan Medina — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:29:45 +0000

Here at State of Opportunity we write stories about children who are considered 'at risk'. We often correlate being 'at risk' with one's racial group or socioeconomic status, but sometimes it can refer to one's health. In the case of the flu, it doesn't matter if you're White or black, rich or poor, you're still at risk of getting sick.

Michigan to go with federal health exchange, for now

Jordan Medina — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 16:21:34 +0000

Tuesday night's election results not only offered President Barack Obama a second chance to get the economy moving, it also allowed his signature policy to stay in tact.

Even though the Affordable Care Act - aka Obamacare - was modeled after Romney's own health care law in Massachusetts, the former Republican challenger vowed to begin efforts to repeal the bill his first day on the job.

What are we doing to treat kids with stress and trauma?

Sarah Alvarez — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:52:07 +0000

Dustin's Dwyer's post on us all being defined in part by our brains when we were 4 years-old had me thinking, worrying actually, about people who were not stimulated as little kids. What about those kids that were not thriving in preschool, but were instead having a really rough time?

Personal stories of babies born too small, too early or gone too soon

Sarah Alvarez and Cameron Stewart — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:16:54 +0000

For some, State of Opportunity's documentary on Michigan’s infant mortality crisis was an introduction to the issue.

But for others, infant loss has long been a topic of worry or grief.

Infant mortality; Complete documentary and edited transcript

Jennifer Guerra — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 20:03:55 +0000

JENNIFER GUERRA: I want to introduce you to a young mom, her name is Angela. She’s 21 years old. She lives with her son in a two bedroom, section eight apartment, just outside Detroit in Highland Park.

ANGELA: I have one kid and one on the way. Want me to say his name? His name is Darrion, he’s three years old.

JG: Darrion has a crazy amount of energy. He likes to bounce around his two-bedroom apartment like the springiest frog you’ve ever seen. He’s also a very big fan of toy cars. And soon, his mom tells me, Darrion is going to be a big brother.

Infant mortality, part 3: A public health crisis needs solutions

Jennifer Guerra — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 20:03:01 +0000

In our final segment of State of Opportunity, Jennifer Guerra looks at what's being done today to help ensure that all children have an equal shot at celebrating their first birth - no matter where they live, what color their skin is, or how much money their parents have in the bank.

A Healthy Start approach, or how to get the black infant mortality rate down to zero

State of Opportunity reporter Jennifer Guerra tagged along with Jenny Hall on a home visit to see a client of hers who lives near Flint.

Infant mortality, part 2: The most disturbing disparity

Jennifer Guerra — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 19:43:15 +0000

In part two of our State of Opportunity documentary on infant mortality and disparities, we ask the question: Why are black babies two and a half times more likely to die before they turn one than white babies?

Two of the leading causes of infant mortality are babies that are born too soon or too small, and a disproportionate amount of those babies are African American.

Growing up in a toxic soup

Infant mortality, part 1: A personal tragedy, and a plan for the future

Jennifer Guerra — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 18:42:27 +0000

Behind the statistics: A personal tragedy

We talked previously about Chantania Smith and her struggle with losing a child.

Six months into her pregnancy, Smith’s doctors discovered she had a short cervix, which is a major cause of preterm birth and a leading indicator for infant mortality.

When she went into labor a month and a half later, the umbilical cord prolapsed and came out first, and Smith was rushed to the hospital for an emergency C-section.