2025 Children's of Alabmama Community Health Needs Assessment

Child abuse ranked as the third-highest child health issue in the community survey. Unfortunately, external indicators confirm that child maltreatment is a persistent problem. Alabama’s rate of children with an indicated report of abuse or neglect is 10.6 per 1,000, up from 8.7 a decade prior. In other words, about 1% of children are confirmed victims of abuse annually, and the rate has worsened. 18 Likewise, traumatic injury (e.g., accidental injuries) remains a leading cause of child mortality. Alabama’s overall child death rate is 25.1 per 100,000. 19 While “accidental injury/trauma” was only a mid-tier concern in the survey, state data show accidents (car crashes, drownings, etc.) continue to threaten children’s lives, suggesting some misalignment—the community may not fully recognize how significant unintentional injuries are in child health statistics. Respondents did not identify childhood obesity and hunger as major concerns. Only 7% ranked obesity #1. However, an estimated 22% of children aged 10–17 are obese, 20 as are 39% of adults—ranking the state 45 th . 21 Similarly, only 6% indicated childhood hunger a top concern, even though 23.3% of Alabama’s children live in food-insecure households, 22 compared to 18.5% nationwide. 23 This represents a significant gap between perception and reality: External data show high childhood obesity and hunger rates, suggesting these chronic issues may be more serious than the community realizes. On the other hand, the low priority given to infectious diseases in the survey is understandable. Thanks to immunization and public health measures, Alabama has not faced major outbreaks among children in recent years. For example, childhood vaccination rates have kept diseases such as measles at bay (infant immunization coverage is around 91% nationally), and the focus has shifted toward behavioral health and chronic conditions. The survey’s de-emphasis of infectious disease aligns with this broader trend.

______________________________________ 18 “Alabama Profile” 2024 Kids Count Data Book. Voices for Alabama’s Children. https://alavoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Alabama_ Profile.pdf#:~:text=Trend%20_%20Poor%20Mental%20Health,797%3A1%20Children%20With%20Serious%20Emotional 19 Alabama Profile” 2024 Kids Count Data Book. Voices for Alabama’s Children. https://alavoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Alabama_ Profile.pdf#:~:text=Trend%20_%20Poor%20Mental%20Health,797%3A1%20Children%20With%20Serious%20Emotional 20 Alabama State Profile.” Trust for America’s Health. https://www.tfah.org/state-details/alabama/ 21 “Obesity.” U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/ 22 Alabama Profile” 2024 Kids Count Data Book. Voices for Alabama’s Children. https://alavoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Alabama_ Profile.pdf#:~:text=Trend%20_%20Poor%20Mental%20Health,797%3A1%20Children%20With%20Serious%20Emotional 23 “Hunger in America.” Feeding America. https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america

Children’s of Alabama, 2025 CHNA

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