OCR Text |
Show Health Risks to Children and Infants This subsection examines a few of the risks faced specifically by children and infants. It covers abuse, both general and sexual, of young people from birth to age 18. It also looks at risks to infants due to low birth weight, births to adolescents, and inadequate prenatal care. This subsection concludes with immunization rates for children by age two and by the start of kindergarten. In the risk factors covered here, it is the behavior by others, generally adults, that poses the threat to children and infants. These are factors over which those affected have no control. Sources for this section can be fournd on pp. 128-129. Child Physical and Sexual Abuse Child abuse and neglect takes many forms, including sexual and physical abuse, physical neglect, non-supervision, and emotional mistreatment. Total numbers of victims of all types of child abuse and neglect in Utah are given in Table 90. Totals include only cases that have been substantiated. These are reported cases that have been investigated and verified to have occurred. Approximately two-thirds of all investigated cases are substantiated. Although numbers of victims appear to have dropped in 1994, the annual number of victims has more than doubled since 1983. This may reflect more public awareness about child abuse, an increase in child abuse investigators and reported cases, or an increase in the number of actual victims. The annual number of substantiated cases of child sexual abuse in Utah more than quadrupled from 1983 to 1992, but dropped by 20% from 1992 to 1994. Figure 53__________________________________ Table 90. Utah Child Abuse All Abuse/Neglect Sexual Abuse Year Total # change Total # change 1983 4,794 51.7 611 131.4 1984 5,309 10.7 941 54.9 1985 5,569 4.9 1,065 13.2 1986 5,127 -7.9 1,022 -4.0 1987 4,976 -2.9 1,170 14.5 1988 6,577 32.2 1,513 29.3 1989 7,782 18.3 1,846 22.0 1990 8,524 9.5 1,872 1.4 1991 10,179 19.4 2,316 23.7 1992 10,875 6.8 2,444 5.5 1993 10,976 3.6 2,282 -6.6 1994 10,430 5.0 1,982 -13.1 (4-1 o I s Child Abuse/Neglect Victims In Utah 11,000 -| ¦ All Child Abuse 10,000 - 9,000- 11 Sexual Child Abuse 8,000- 7,000- 6,000- 5,000- ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ 1 4,000- 1 1 1 1 3,000- 1 1 1 1 1 2,000- I 1 LI 1 1,000- 0- 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 102 Health Risks to Children and Infants |