Disparities in Arkansas Child Health Persist, Especially for Black Families

Arkansas’ Black children consistently have worse health outcomes from birth onward than children of other races, reports the Arkansas Advocate. On a scale of 0 to 1,000 for child wellbeing, Black children scored 299, compared to 397 for Latino children, 597 for white children, 562 for children of two or more races, 616 for American Indian or Alaska Native children, and 624 for Asian and Pacific Islander children. Arkansas has the nation’s highest maternal mortality rate and the third highest infant mortality rate regardless of race. Arkansas’ health burdens and disparities are augmented by a shortage of providers in rural areas.