Send To A Friend
Print This PageChicago, IL
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
What's Good
- Illinois has particularly progressive laws guaranteeing a nursing mother the right to breastfeed in public.
- State laws require health insurance companies to provide or offer at least some coverage for fertility-related services.
- Illinois stands out in a measure of legislation related to cord blood education, research and related issues.
- Once Chicago mothers begin breastfeeding, they are 12 percent more likely than average to continue through 6 months. That's the 6th highest level of follow-through of any city in our report.
Needs Improvement
- Expecting and new moms have few parks: Chicago has 44 percent fewer public parks than average, relative to population.
- Illinois has no provisions for dependent related tax breaks.
- Chicago babies are 16 percent more likely than average to be born with low birth weight.
- Babies here are 11 percent more likely than average to be born prematurely.
- Air quality here is worse than most cities in our survey. Air quality has been linked to childhood asthma and fertility rates, among other health effects.
- Compared to the number of babies born, Chicago has 104 percent fewer lactation consultants than average. That's the 8th lowest ratio in our survey.
- Illinois devotes less money relative to population than most states to child car-seat-check stations.
- Chicago has fewer OB-GYNs than average, the 4th lowest in our survey.
- There are just 4 licensed day care centers for every 1,000 children under 4 years. That's 44 percent less than average.
- Hospital costs in Chicago are higher than average.
- Fewer Chicago families can afford a median-priced home than the average for our survey.
- According to the Urban Mobility Report from Texas A&M University, Chicago has one of the worst commutes of any city in our survey. It takes 57 percent longer to drive the same route during rush hour than in free-flowing traffic. That puts a lot more pressure on parents rushing to day care at the end of the day.
- There's 82 percent less public park space than average here, relative to population.
- The local climate can be extreme -not conducive to getting out and working off pregnancy weight gain.
- Relative to population, Chicago has fewer specialty retailers of healthy/organic foods and vitamins than most places in our survey.
- Chicago has 28 miles of stroller-friendly trails and public pathways, according to our survey of parks departments. In a per capita comparison, that's 91 percent less than the average city in our survey (3rd lowest overall relative to population).
|
User Comments: Also in great need of mentioning is the Lincoln Park Zoo, I believe the last... (View Full Comments) -- Anonymous I 'm not quite sure that I agree with your opinion about Chicago as being... (View Full Comments) -- M. Levasseur |
