A new study of children found that watching TV was more harmful to children’s health than other sedentary activities like using a computer. In the study, the more TV children watched, the higher their blood pressure rose, regardless of their weight.

Half of the nation’s schools have poor indoor air quality, which has been shown to reduce students’ academic achievement and test scores

In the United States, tooth decay is the single most common chronic disease of childhood—five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever.

The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that teens get 60 minutes of activity five or more days a week. Yet, on average, California teens get 60 minutes of activity only 3.7 days a week.

The number of children and families on Medi-Cal in 2009-10 grew at a rate of 6% to 7%, significantly higher than initial estimates. This is likely due to increased economic hardship.

While the 2009 Academic Performance Index (API) indicates that Latino, African American and economically-disadvantaged students increased their scores, California’s achievement gap persists. White and Asian students continue to score higher.