Hawaii
Children & Families
We can learn a lot about any state based on how it treats its children. Research is also clear that childhood shapes our life trajectories in profound ways. Moreover, those trajectories are shaped by children's families. For example, parents' income and wealth shape the physical resources available in the household. The time that parents and other family members spend with their children shape children's values, knowledge, skills, habits, beliefs, and emotional well-being. Of course, we are also products of our neighborhoods, friendships, national culture, policies, environments, and the decisions we make in adulthood, but our focus here is on families. In the long run, no state can be more successful than its children.
Summary of Results.
Hawaii's progress in this area has been mixed. Child mortality is improving over time. The percentage of children born at low birthweights, youth depression, and the percentage of children living with a single parent are worsening.
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Child MortalitySpecific Measure
Mortality rate of children under age five per 100,000 children under age five, age-adjusted
(Source: Authors' analysis of Centers for Disease Control data).State RankState vs. US trend14Why did we include this measure?
All forms of mortality are concerning, but the deaths of young children are especially alarming, given the vulnerability of this group. A rising number of deaths also signals larger trends in threats and risks, even to those who survive.
How does Hawaii compare to the rest of the country?
Hawaii's trend in child mortality has been improving less than the US. Compared to other states, Hawaii has also decreased in state ranking by two or more places. Therefore, we categorize Hawaii's comparison to the US as negative. In the most recent year, Hawaii ranked 14 (out of 51). In the same year, Massachusetts ranked first, and Mississippi ranked last.
Additional Information.
The leading causes of death among infants and toddlers in the US are (in order): accidents, health conditions, and homicides. (When including adolescents and teenagers, the leading cause is murder/suicide.) The recent decline in US child mortality is almost entirely due to a decline in motor vehicle accident deaths. These have declined faster than the overall death rate from motor vehicle deaths, indicating that this is partly related to much greater use and quality of car seats and seat belt use. The decline in mortality is also happening despite the national rise in low birthweight (see below), which increases child mortality.Hawaii State Trend Improving
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Low BirthweightSpecific Measure
Percentage of live births where children weigh 2,499 grams (5.51 lbs.) or less
(Source: Authors' analysis of Centers for Disease Control data).State RankState vs. US trend30Why did we include this measure?
Low birthweight is associated with a wide range of short-term issues for infants and longer-term issues later in life, including developmental delays, chronic health issues, behavioral and emotional problems, and stunted physical growth.
How does Hawaii compare to the rest of the country?
Hawaii's trend in the percentage of children born at low birthweights has been worsening more than the US. Compared to other states, Hawaii has also decreased in state ranking by two or more places. Therefore, we categorize Hawaii's comparison to the US as negative. In the most recent year, Hawaii ranked 30 (out of 51). In the same year, Alaska ranked first, and Mississippi ranked last.
Additional Information.
Some of the rise in low birthweight is driven by the rising age at which women are having children. Also, the rising use of assisted reproduction (e.g., in vitro fertilization, IVF) leads to a greater prevalence of multi-child births where each baby generally has a lower birthweight. Low birthweight is also related to mothers' obesity, malnutrition, sexually transmitted diseases, stress, and substance abuse, which are related to a mix of behaviors, habits, policies, and socio-economic conditions. One of those conditions is poverty. While our national measure of poverty is declining, this might not be the case among pregnant women and poverty measures do not capture access to health care very well. A lack of prenatal health care, especially among lower income groups, may contribute to these and other issues that cause low birthweight.Hawaii State Trend Worsening
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Youth DepressionSpecific Measure
Percentage of youth aged 12-17 who reported experiencing a Major Depressive Episode (MDE) in the past year
(Source: Authors' analysis of National Survey on Drug Use and Health data).State RankState vs. US trend1Why did we include this measure?
Depression is an extreme form of mental distress and a common precursor to suicide. Given the importance of childhood for shaping life trajectories, depression at this early stage is a particular concern for the future. Especially in its more extreme forms, depression affects almost every element of life, including the ability to focus on studying, participate in school activities, and engage in deep relationships with friends and family. Depression also carries over to our ability to sleep and other aspects of our physical health. Those who have depression when they are young are also more likely to experience depression, and all of these symptoms, when they are older.
How does Hawaii compare to the rest of the country?
Hawaii's trend in youth depression has been worsening less than the US. Compared to other states, Hawaii has also increased in state ranking by two or more places. Therefore, we categorize Hawaii's comparison to the US as positive. In the most recent year, Hawaii ranked first (out of 51). In the same year, New Hampshire ranked last.
Additional Information.
The upward shift in national youth depression started around 2007 and has been concentrated mainly among girls. There has been considerable debate about the causes. The timing of the depression spike coincides with the launch of the iPhone, and the more recent national spike around 2017 is associated with the rapidly expanded use of social media through those devices. We could not find any other proposed explanation that can explain these patterns. On the other hand, it is difficult to carry out the kinds of studies that would be needed to clearly pin down the role of smartphones, social media, or other causes.Hawaii State Trend Worsening
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Children Living With Single ParentSpecific Measure
Percentage of own-children under age 18 living in single-parent households, of all own-children under age 18
(Source: Authors' analysis of Census Bureau data).State RankState vs. US trend14Why did we include this measure?
Single-parent households have less access to quality housing and schooling and are more unstable financially, which causes stress for parents and more frequent housing moves. Single parents also have less time and energy to spend with their children to provide emotional support, instill good habits, enforce rules, and help with homework. Perhaps for these reasons, growing up in a single-parent household is associated with a wide range of negative consequences during adolescence, including lower academic achievement, higher dropout rates, increased aggression in school, fewer social connections, risky behaviors (e.g., drug use), and a higher chance of teen pregnancy. When they become adults, these children tend to have lower incomes, higher rates of anxiety and depression, difficulty engaging in their own stable relationships (e.g., they have higher divorce rates), and increased rates of incarceration. Growing up with a single parent seems to be a particular problem for boys.
How does Hawaii compare to the rest of the country?
Hawaii's trend in the percentage of children living with a single parent has been worsening more than the US. Compared to other states, Hawaii has also decreased in state ranking by two or more places. Therefore, we categorize Hawaii's comparison to the US as negative. In the most recent year, Hawaii ranked 14 (out of 51). In the same year, Utah ranked first, and Washington DC ranked last.
Additional Information.
The national rate of single-parent children has hovered in the 25‒28% range for 35 years. This relative stability may seem surprising given that the national marriage rate has been in steady decline during this same period. However, birth rates are declining for both single and married women of childbearing age, so these cancel out in our measure of the share of children living with single parents.Hawaii State Trend Worsening
How to Read This Report:
We report each measure three different ways: State Rank, State Trend, State vs. US Trend. Each result is color coded as either red (negative/worsening), yellow (neutral/stable), or green (positive/improving), as indicated below. If the simple trends were erratic, had too few data points, or had no data points, we do not color code and label the trend as “mixed,” "unclear," or "NA," respectively.
State Rank
(Where are we now?)
State Trend
(Where are we going?)
State vs. US Trend
(How do we compare?)
Top third of states
(i.e., ranks 1-17)
Improving
Trendline is improving by >5% and most points are improving relative to the first data point.
Improving
Trendline is improving relative to the national trend and rank is improving by 2+ rank spots.
Middle third of states
(i.e., ranks 18-34)
Neutral/Stable
Doesn't fall into improving, worsening, mixed, unclear, or NA categories.
Neutral/Stable
Trendline is improving/worsening the same amount as the national trend or rank is changing by <2 spots.
Bottom third of states
(i.e., ranks 35-51)
Worsening
Trendline is worsening by >5% and most points are worsening relative to the first data point.
Worsening
Trendline is worsening relative to national trend and rank is declining by 2+ rank spots
Mixed
Large shares of points are improving and worsening by >5% in different parts of the trend.
Mixed
This label only applies when a measure has more than 1 trendline. One trendline is improving and another is worsening.
Unclear
Not enough data to determine a trend.
Unclear
Not enough data to determine a comparison.
Not Applicable
No data.
Not Applicable
No data.
Not Applicable
No data.
For more information on our definitions and methods, please see the Data Notes section.
