Child health: 16 states that let kids down

Are America's kids healthy? Depends on where they live. The latest Kids Count Data Book ranks states according to levels of child mortality, teenage pregnancy, educational attainment and family income, among other factors. Which states fared worst for child well-being? Keep clicking to see the 16 sickliest...

16. Texas

Texas kicks off the list of 16 states with the lowest overall well-being for children.

15. Florida

The Tampa Bay area is home to a number of famed sports teams, but Tampa residents aren't in stellar athletic condition. Few walk or bike to work, and a high percent report poor physical health.Score: 40.438

14. Arizona

Famous for its balmy climate - and infamous for allergies? Phoenix had an allergy index of 695.

13. North Carolina

charlotte, north carolina — Wikimedia Commons

Previous rank: 3 Total score (combining pollen scores, number of allergy medications used per patient, and the number of allergy specialists per patient): 74.36 out of 100 Pollen score: Average Medical utilization of allergy drugs: Above average Number of board certified allergists: Average

12. Tennessee

Tennessee, Smokey Mountains, generic, state, 4x3 — istockphoto

Percentage who reported fatigue: 24.43

11. Nevada

10. Kentucky

In Kentucky, 25.7 percent of adults are cigarette smokers.

9. Georgia

Pounds of toxic air pollution from power plants: 18,246,617

8. Oklahoma

Percentage of births to women under 20. 2009: 13.8 2008: 13.8

7. West Virginia

West Virginia, state, 4x3, generic — iStockphoto

Grade: F Numerical Score: 1.38

6. South Carolina

south carolina, state, sign, 4x3, stock — Flickr/Paul Hamilton

Health advocates can reward South Carolina for its low rates of binge drinking, but red flags arise for high rates of obesity, diabetes, and children living in poverty. In the past year, the percentage of children living in poverty increased from 17.6 percent to 25.7 percent. Score: -0.521

5. New Mexico

albuquerque, new mexico, state, downtown — Flickr/Ken Lund

Percentage of motorists who acknowledged driving while drugged: 4.8

4. Arkansas

little rock, arkansas — Wikimedia Commons

Arkansas' biggest city seems to have a little appetite for physical activity.

3. Alabama

A state that is classified as an Android state is one where people in that state are more likely to be using Android than is the norm across the whole country. An iOS state is similarly one where people within that state are more likely to be iOS users than is the norm across the country. The same goes for BlackBerry. When a state is neutral, that state is no more likely to have Android, iOS or BlackBerry users than the average across the country. This research was done by Jumptap, a targeted mobile advertising firm, from over 83 million mobile device users. The data was released in July 2011 in the company's Mobile STAT report.

2. Louisiana

lousiana, roads, state, new orleans — Fotopedia

Pedestrian fatality rate per 100,000 population: 2.38

1. Mississippi

Is Mississippi the worst state for kids to live in? The Magnolia State ranked the lowest on the list for 7 of the 10 factors the report measured.