Poll Reports

Child abuse and neglect was identified most frequently by the public as a child health priority for Presidential candidates. Alcohol/smoking/drug use, as well as nutrition, hunger, and obesity, were also child health priority areas for at least half of U.S. adults.

One half of parents reported their child had leftover pills from a pain medication prescription. Only one third of parents said that the prescribing provider discussed what to do with the child’s leftover pain medication.

55% of adults perceive the mental/emotional health of kids today to be worse than when they were kids. 42% of adults perceive the physical health of kids today to be worse than when they were growing up. 65% of adults perceive less quality family time for kids today compared with when they were growing up.

Nearly one-third (30%) of parents have looked at online doctor ratings for themselves or a family member in the past year. 69% of parents believe doctor rating websites may have fake ratings. 11% of parents have left a rating about a doctor.

One-third of parents say flu vaccine is less important for their child than other vaccines. Negative beliefs about flu vaccine safety and efficacy are more prevalent among parents of children who do not get flu vaccine. One-third of parents of non-vaccinated children say the doctor recommended flu vaccine less strongly than other vaccines.

Teens say their parents have placed fewer limits on their driving than were reported by their parents. 73% of parents restrict their teens from texting while driving. 61% of parents do not allow their teens to drive after 10:00 p.m.

Only about 15% of parents report their teen would discuss health problems independently at a routine check-up. Two-thirds of parents complete health history forms without involving their teen. Parents’ top reason that teens are not involved in discussing health problems is they are not comfortable in that role.

92% of parents and 91% of teens think e-cigarettes should have health warnings like traditional cigarettes. 84% of parents and 81% of teens think allowing teens to use e-cigarettes will encourage them to use other tobacco products. 64% of parents and 71% of teens support banning candy- and fruit-flavored e-cigarettes.

39% of parents say their child’s preschool or child care center has experienced an emergency within the past two years. 37% of parents say their child’s center or preschool has an emergency plan online. 63% of parents report their child’s preschool or child care center has a process in place to identify adults at pick-up time if an evacuation became necessary.

Mothers are more likely than fathers to label actions as cyberbullying. One in five parents believe students who post online rumors about sex should be referred to law enforcement. Online rumors about cheating on a test are viewed by parents as less serious than online rumors about sex.