More are being immunized, read aloud to and finishing high school. The figures also show that Hispanics, whose children now outnumber African-American children for the first time, will become the nation's largest minority within seven years. Hispanics and blacks each now make up about 15 percent of American children. K 56K Overall, the news was good.
Infant mortality is down.
So are deaths among 15-19 year olds. Still, over 60 percent of the deaths in the teen years grouping are caused by automobile accidents and guns. Just 6 percent of children ages 1 to 5 had measurable lead levels in their blood from 1988-1994. That's down from 88 percent in 1976-1980, before lead was banned from paint and plumbing supplies. But there was bad news, too.