Parents report that children in the Dayton area are basically healthy. That's the good news that comes from The Children’s Medical Center of Dayton’s 2008 Regional Pediatric Health Assessment.

But the study pointed to three areas of concern affecting a large number of the community's children:

Childhood obesity continues to present major health implications. Almost 1 in 4 children are overweight due to a lack of proper nutrition and physical activity.

Almost 1 in 5 children are affected by asthma or developmental delays and nearly 14 percent of children have allergies.

Better dental health is needed – nearly 1 in 10 children ages 6 to 14 has not had a dental visit within the past year.

John Pascoe, MD, director of child health research at Dayton Children's, says these types of studies are important for a community.

"You may miss something important by simply staying in your office or hospital and not asking parents what they think is important to their children’s health," Dr. Pascoe says.

Professional Research Consultants, Inc., a private research company, randomly interviewed 600 parents with children younger than 15-years-old who lived within Dayton Children’s service area. The phone interviews covered a number of aspects of children’s health and safety like daily lifestyles, special health needs, violence, nutrition and weight, health care access, injury and general and mental health.

The 2008 results were compared to previous studies done in 2002 and 2004 and showed which areas have improved and which need to be addressed. Findings were also compared to national averages.

Childhood obesity continues to present major health implications
Respondents were asked to indicate what they believe to be the number-one health issue facing children in the community and nearly one-fourth identified obesity, nutrition or exercise. "While it is good to see that parents are becoming more aware of childhood obesity, this disease can lead to major health issues for children," says James Ebert, MD, lead physician of the lipid clinic at Dayton Children's.

"Risk factors for heart disease, like high cholesterol and high blood pressure, occur more frequently in overweight children as compared to children who have a healthy weight."

According to the health assessment, 1 in 4 children between the ages of 2 and 14 are overweight, while parents of overweight children often believe their child’s weight is fine. A poor diet and lack of physical activity are the primary causes for the increase in obese children. Only 70 percent of kids participated in vigorous physical activity at least three days a week.

"Just a few changes in diet and activity can make a big difference," says Dr. Ebert.

Allergies, asthma, developmental delays/learning disabilities continue to affect large number of children
Over 10 percent of the region's children suffer from or have been diagnosed with asthma, according to the health assessment. Robert Fink, MD, director of pulmonary medicine at Dayton Children's, says this statistic is not surprising since the Miami Valley often ranks high when compared to other areas in asthma prevalence.

Dr. Fink says the number of asthmatic children in the region causes concern because of the implications of asthma.

"Kids often have to go to the emergency department, be hospitalized or miss school because of asthma," Dr. Fink says.

"Nearly 60 percent of asthmatic children went to a physician or clinic last year specifically for their asthma, and 60 percent of asthmatic kids are on medication for their asthma."

National data suggests that children usually take their prescribed medicine 20 to 40 percent of the time.

"Children may not feel bad if they miss a day of their medication, but skipping a day or two can cause trouble down the road because asthma management requires routine maintenance," Dr. Fink says.

"Proper use of medication can have the greatest impact on reducing visits to the hospital because of asthma."

Allergies also continue to be a problem for children. Almost 14 percent of the area’s children have been diagnosed with an allergy to an airborne substance and almost 12 percent of children missed one or more school days due to allergies in the last year. By knowing what a child is allergic to, steps can be taken to avoid the allergen.

The assessment also identifies an increase in children who have been diagnosed with developmental delays or learning disabilities from 6.9 percent in 2002 to 11.1 percent in 2008.

"While it’s difficult to tell why there was such an increase, there may be some contributing factors to note," says Eileen Kasten, MD, director of developmental pediatrics at Dayton Children's.

"Over the past few years, there has been an increase in the recognition of the autism spectrum and more children are being diagnosed earlier and with milder symptoms."

Dr. Kasten says that recent policies from the American Academy of Pediatrics, combined with greater community awareness may partially explain the rise in diagnoses of developmental delays and learning disabilities.

Better dental health needed
Tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease and 90 percent of all tooth decay is preventable, yet nearly 1 in 10 local children age 6 to 14 have not had a single dental visit within the past year.

"It is well-known that cavities in primary teeth increases the risk of the secondary teeth also developing a disease," says Gordon Womack, DDS, medical director of Dayton Pediatric Dentistry at Dayton Children’s.

"When children are in pain from dental-related causes, that pain either directly or indirectly affects their ability to speak, eat, sleep or concentrate."

Only 58 percent of parents reported that their child brushes their teeth at least twice a day and eight percent say they don't brush at all.

"Parents should make sure that children brush their teeth properly, for two full minutes, brushing with in circles with fluoridated toothpaste using a soft bristle brush," Dr. Womack says.

"Less than 40 percent of children actually follow proper brushing techniques. Proper preventive care and a balanced diet are key to the oral and overall health of every child."

Increased awareness and education positively impact child safety and environment
Accidental injury remains the leading killer of our nation’s children, but the health assessment shows that educational programming and community advocacy can work to prevent injuries.

Since the initial study in 2002, Dayton Children’s has focused on increasing awareness of the importance of car seats and helmets in preventing accidental injury.

According to the report, over 94 percent of area parents say their child "always" uses a car seat or safety belt when riding a car, an increase since 2002. The number of children that always use a helmet while riding a bicycle in the past year was reported at 42 percent, significantly higher than the 31 percent reported in 2002, but slightly below the national average of 43 percent.

"We know a car seat can reduce death by up to 71 percent," says Thomas Krzmarzick, MD, director of the Regional Pediatric Trauma and Emergency Center at Dayton Children’s.