But if one parent had a professional degree, just 2.9 percent rated their health as fair to poor. Similarly, 9.6 percent of teenagers living in families at less than 1.5 times the federal poverty threshold rated their health as fair to poor, while 4.5 percent of those whose family income is in the top 5 percent of household incomes rated their health as fair to poor. As for chronic illness, Dr. Goodman found, for example, that 11.5 percent of teenagers whose parents did not graduate from high school were obese, while 4.4 percent of teenagers with one parent who has a professional degree were obese. And, 10.6 percent of teenagers living in families at less than 1.5 times the federal poverty threshold were obese, while 2.9 percent of those whose family income is in the top 5 percent of household incomes were obese. Finally, 10.6 percent of teenagers with both parents in manual occupations were obese, while 6.6 percent of teenagers with neither parent in a manual occupation were obese.
Socioeconomic factors take their toll.
Serving infants to adolescents, Children's Hospital Medical Center of Cincinnati is an international leader in pediatric healthcare, research and education.