Like all parents, I worry about my daughter. Is she getting enough to eat? Is she getting too much? Will she be able to stand strong against peer pressure and ‘just say no’ to unhealthy choices such as smoking and drug abuse.

There are so many reasons to worry about today’s kids. And a new report from the University of Michigan CS Mott Children’s Hospital shows that I’m not the only one concerned.

According to the National Poll on Children’s Health, the childhood obesity epidemic may be leveling off but concerns about the issue are growing.

The 2008 report, that list adults’ top ten health concerns for kids, shows that in 2008 childhood obesity is now the number one concern. Last year childhood obesity ranked third on the list. Smoking and drug abuse round out the top three.

“The National Poll on Children’s Health report clearly shows that adults in America are very concerned about the problem of childhood obesity and its causes,” Matthew M. Davis, M.D., M.A.P.P., director of the National Poll on Children’s Health, said in a press release. “While recent studies have suggested that the childhood obesity epidemic may be leveling off, the results of this poll reveal that adults in the U.S. are still very much concerned about this issue.”

The National Poll on Children’s Health asked participating adults to rate 20 different health problems for children living in their communities. The top ten follow:

• Childhood obesity: Research has shown that Hispanic children are at a greater risk for childhood obesity, yet it was rated lower by Hispanic adults than white or black adults. Overall, 35 percent of adults listed it as their top concern.

• Drug abuse: Viewed as a bigger concern by the Hispanic population with 50 percent rating it at top of the list, drug abuse was more likely to be a health concern among adults with lower incomes. Twenty-nine percent of white adults and 35 percent of black adults rated drug abuse at number two.

• Smoking: Now number three, smoking was rated as the top U.S. health concern for kids in 2007 by adults, with 32 percent responding. Interestingly, 52 percent of Hispanic adults view smoking as their number one health concern for kids in their communities.

• Bullying: It’s an entirely new addition to the list and was rated highly by adults with and without children in their homes. Middle-income households were more likely than higher income households to rate bullying as a major concern.

• Internet safety: Adults with household incomes of $100,000 or more per year were more likely to view Internet safety as a concern for children in their community. As stated in a podcast interview, Davis believes the correlation is linked to greater internet access and possible increased awareness.
  

• Child abuse and neglect: In 2007, this issue was rated tenth among health concern for U.S. children. It has moved to the sixth spot, with 25 percent of adults polled responding.

• Teen pregnancy: Still viewed as a top health concern for youth in their communities, 35 percent of black adults viewed teen pregnancy as a top concern, compared with 21 percent of whites and 33 percent of Hispanic adults.

• Alcohol abuse: It ranked fourth overall in the 2007 poll. This year, 23 percent of adults listed it as their number 8 health concern for U.S. kids.

• Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) and sexually transmitted infections tied for number nine. AD/HD is new to the list and was a greater concern for low-income adults than high- and middle-income earners (31 percent versus 14-19 percent). Sexually transmitted infections ranked in the same spot as in 2007.

• Chemicals in the environment and not enough opportunities for physical activity tied for number ten on the list of health concerns for 2008. Concern regarding environmental toxins is another new addition to the list, with more than 30 percent of Hispanic adults and 25 percent of adults with low-income households viewing it as a threat to children’s health.

• Nineteen percent of adults polled believed lack of opportunities for physical activity merited a spot on the list, which Davis says, underscores the importance of childhood obesity concerns in the minds of U.S. adults.

So what exactly does a poll like this tell us?

Says Davis, “We found multiple differences in the priority of health problems for kids in the minds of adults by race, ethnicity, income or some other characteristic. What this tells us is that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ public health approach to these issues. So as doctors, nurses and public health officials need to work to find ways to help their community deal with health issues, it’s important that they remember to tailor their approach to the priorities of the community.”

Issues that did not rank in the top ten include driving accidents, depression, asthma, eating disorders, neighborhood safety, school violence, autism and suicide.