---

What's Good

•24 percent of babies in Missouri are born via Cesarean section, among the lowest in our survey. The average is 27 percent.

•With one acre of parkland for every 38 residents, there's 68 percent more public park space than average here, relative to population.

•Kansas City has 7.2 NICU facilities per 10,000 births, 4th highest in our survey. The average city in our survey has 3.4 NICU facilities per 10,000 live births.

•According to the Urban Mobility Report from Texas A&M University, Kansas City has one of the best commutes of any city in our survey, it takes only 11 percent longer to drive the same route during rush hour than in free-flowing traffic. That takes a lot of pressure off parents rushing to day care at the end of the day.

Needs Improvement

•12 percent of pregnant women in Kansas City admit to smoking during pregnancy, the 9th highest rate in our survey. Nationwide, 8 percent of pregnant women smoke.

•Relative to population, Kansas City has fewer specialty retailers of healthy/organic foods and vitamins than most places in our survey.

•By six months of age, 68 percent of Kansas City babies aren't being breastfed at all. That's the 7th poorest percentage of any city in our report. The average for cities in our survey is 57 percent.

•7.4 percent of Kansas City mothers breastfeed their babies exclusively (meaning no solids, formula or other liquids) for 6 months or longer as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. That's the 9th lowest percentage among cities in our survey. The average for our survey is 12 percent.

•Once Kansas City mothers begin breastfeeding, they are 14 percent less likely than average to continue through 6 months. That's the 9th lowest level of follow-through of any city in our report.

•Just 2.6 percent of births statewide are attended by midwives, compared to a national average of 7.3 percent.

•State laws do not require health insurance companies to provide or offer any fertility-related services.

•There are 47 percent fewer advanced fertility clinics per capita than average here, the 9th lowest ratio in our survey.

•Kansas City has only 5 licensed home day cares for every 1,000 children under 4 years, the 6th lowest in our survey. The average city in our survey has 13.

•There are no state laws requiring day care workers to undergo special SIDS prevention training. Many other states mandate such training.

•Kansas City has a 24 percent higher property crime rate than average, the 7th highest in our survey.

---