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Survey examines kids� well-being By Jonel Aleccia Fewer Jackson County teenagers got pregnant or arrested in 1999, more eighth-graders did better on state science and math tests and fewer babies were born too small to survive. That�s the good news, according to the 2000 Children First for Oregon survey, an annual snapshot of kids� well-being. The bad news is, the number of young people attempting suicide continued to climb, more children were victims of abuse and neglect, and more students dropped out of high school. In all, the annual Status of Oregon�s Children report released today was a mixed bag of numbers that surprised no one who works regularly with teens. Even the largest jump, a 129 percent increase in the number of suicide attempts among young people ages 10 to 17, was alarming but not surprising to area experts. The report showed that 54 young people attempted suicide in 1999, a rate 27 percent worse than the state average. "We have been high in that area for several years," said Carin Niebuhr of the Jackson County Commission on Children and Families. It�s not clear whether the high numbers can be attributed to better reporting and tracking by emergency room doctors and other professionals, or to other factors. In any case, a spokesman for a project aimed at curtailing youth suicides said he�s working to help next year�s numbers go down. "From our standpoint, the work is everywhere," said Richard Hoskins, coordinator of Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), a project that plans to train 200 community members to recognize and prevent potential suicide risk in youth ages 10 to 24. Better reporting has been cited as the cause for high local incidences of child abuse and neglect as well. In Jackson County in 1999, the rate of reports was 11 percent higher than the previous year, and 17 percent higher than the state rate. In other news, the survey showed that juvenile arrests improved by 13 percent in 1999, although the figure is still nearly 60 percent higher than the state rate. At the same time, teen pregnancy rates improved by 16 percent, to a rate 28 percent better than the state average. Eighth-graders performed 24 percent better in 1999 on state reading tests and 21 percent better on state math tests, boosting local performance about 5 percent above state levels. The rate at which teens dropped out of high school rose by 21 percent to 693, making Jackson County�s rate 17 percent worse than the rest of the state. Local education officials have defended their dropout rates, saying that state figures may be skewed by inaccurate attendance figures or enrollment in alternative programs. Thirteen babies died at birth in 1999, boosting infant mortality rates by 15 percent, a rate 13 percent worse than state averages. At the same time, only 84 of the region�s 2,000 new babies were born weighing less than 2,500 grams (about 5 pounds), improving the region�s low birth weight rates by 23 percent. That makes the local rate about 25 percent better than state averages. Finally, child care availability in Jackson County improved by 24 percent in 1999. Locally, there were more than 8,500 day care spaces available, making the local availability 37 percent better than state averages. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.