U.S. Youth at Risk

Douglas W. Nelson, the executive director of Annie E. Casey Foundation of the United States, recently point out that “strong, capable, resourceful families are an absolute necessity for improving outcomes for children. The inescapable (无法逃避的) reality is that we have no alternative (选择), no substitute (替代) for families. ” In addition (另外), Nelson says the weakening of churches, clubs, social organizations, neighborhood networks, and small business often leaves troubled communities without “the vibrant (震荡的) infrastructure necessary to shield (保护) the economic and social disadvantage that surrounds them.”

High rate of child poverty (), teenage pregnancy (怀孕), and failure to graduate from high school are among the many troubling signals for children and their future in the United States, suggests the 1994 report by the Annie E. foundation. The report examines the following 10 key factors affecting children’s future:

1.       Low birth weight

Babies weighing less than 5.5 pounds at birth have a high likelihood（可能性）of experiencing developmental problems. The number of such babies 7.1% of all births in 1991—raises questions about whether disadvantaged mothers receive adequate (足够的) health care.

2.       Child death rate

Older children, too remain at risk, says the report. In 1991, more than 15,000 children between the ages of 1 and 14 died, and the death rate for African-American children (48.1 per 100,000) was almost twice that of white children (27.8).

3.       Infant (婴儿) mortality (死亡率)

Though infant mortality has decrease over all, the gains have not been distributed equally among the population. Children born in distressed areas （贫困地区）are at greater risk, and the rate of infant of whites. Again, inadequate health measures are suspected culprit, according to the report.

4.       Unmarried teenager births

The share of all births occurring to unmarried teenagers rose to 9% in 1991, up from 7.5% in 1985. the foundation describes the trends in teenager births as “alarming”, noting that research has found that children born to unmarried teenagers are more likely to drop out of school, become dependent on welfare, or become single teenager parents themselves.

5.       Juvenile () arrest rate

The rate of juvenile arrests for homicide (杀人犯), rape, and other violent crimes is increasing, and the growing use of handguns has made violent crimes more lethal (致命的), according to the report.

6.       violent teen deaths

Every two hours a child dies of gunshot wound. Research shows that the number of teenager homicide victims has doubled since 1985.

7.       On-time graduation

Only 68.8% of the students in 1991 completed high school on time, as opposed to 71.6% in 1985. as advanced skills and technical knowledge become increasingly required for jobs, the prospects (前景) for young people who fail to completes high school will be grim (严酷的).

8.       Not in school or working

Teens who are neither in school nor working are at high risk for delinquency（不良行为）, crime, and reduced success as an adult. Adults who spend large portion of their younger years unemployed will have a harder time finding a job and holding onto （维持住）it.

9.       Poverty

Studies show that poverty is closely related to undesirable（不受欢迎的）outcomes for children in health, education, emotional well-being and delinquency. Twenty percent of al U.S. children and 25% of those under age 6 live in poverty.

10.   Single-Parent families

Children do not have the same economic, housing, and human resources available to them in single-parent homes as in two-parent homes, figures show that the poverty rate for single-parent families is 42%, compared with only 8% for two-parent families.