A new survey sheds some light on how rural children fare in the face of particular health and educational challenges, compared with children in other areas.
The report from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration focuses on children from birth to age 17. It finds that rural children are more likely than urban children to have repeated a grade in school, to live below the federal poverty level, to have public rather than private insurance, and to suffer from chronic conditions such as obesity, asthma, and diabetes.
The survey also shows that rural children were more likely than any other group to share meals with their families every day and to attend religious services weekly, 50.7 percent and 57.5 percent, respectively.
