For Release: January 13, 1997, 5 PM (ET)
Below is a highlight of a study published in the January issue of Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). To receive full text of this study, please contact the Division of Public Relations at 847/981-7877 or e-mail the division at [email protected] and ask forC80.
MAJORITY OF INNER CITY CHILDREN BECOME SUCCESSFUL ADULTS
CHICAGO--A new study shows that the majority of children born in inner cities grow up to become successful adults. The study, published in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, is contrary to a common belief that such children cannot break out of poverty. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University identified more than 1,700 children born between 1960 and 1965 and their mothers, and monitored the children through ages 27 to 33. Those researchers found that 79 percent of the children had earned high school diplomas or graduate equivalency degrees, 76-percent were financially independent (no public assistance), 70 percent had a lifestyle that was not destructive or anti-social and 60 percent were in good physical and mental health. The study shows that the children who grew into successful adults shared the following: average or better reading skills by age 8, avoidance of regular smoking, no pregnancy before age 18, not repeating a grade in school and mothers with high school diplomas at the time the child was born. The studys authors conclude, "Attention to improving public education, particularly language and reading skills, and the prevention of smoking and adolescent pregnancy are clearly indicated."
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EDITORS NOTE: This study was published in the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, but does not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of the Academy. The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 51,000 pediatricians dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
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