CHILD POVERTY Child poverty has various negative effects on the physical and mental health of children. According to Orange County Children’s Partnerships (OCCP), poverty is linked to substandard housing, homelessness, inadequate nutrition, food insecurity, inadequate child care, lack of access to health care, and generally unsafe neighborhoods. The implications for children living in poverty include greater risk for poor academic achievement, school dropout, abuse and neglect, behavioral and socioemotional problems, physical health problems and developmental delays. Evidently, poverty is a relevant indicator as it creates barriers to health promotion and management. The overall percentage of residents living in poverty in Orange County is 12.1%. Approximately 16.4% of children (ages 017) live in poverty, 5.3% of children live in deep poverty (<50% Federal Poverty Threshold) and 5.8% of Orange County children are considered homeless.13
Orange County Children Living in Poverty 25.0% 20.8% 20.3%
20.0%
15.0%
16.9%
17.6%
17.6%
16.9%
16.4%
2012-2016
2013-2017
10.0%
5.0%
0.0% 2009-2013
2010-2014 Orange County
2011-2015 California
National
Source: United States Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2009-2017
U.S. Census Bureau, 2016 American Community Survey. As cited on www.kidsdata.org, a program of the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health. Retrieved 7/2019. 13
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