About one in eight younger Americans–those 16 to 24 years old–are disconnected, they’re not  in school or working, according to a new health survey. Researchers found  higher rates of unemployment, child poverty, single-parent families, and teen births in areas with the largest percentages of disconnected youth.

 

In its County Health t Rankings, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) measured  the youth disconnection rate at 11.9 percent  nationally and 12.3 percent in Pennsylvania. In Blair County, it is 14.4 percent, According to Healthy Blair County Director Coleen Heim.

 

Heim says the  coalition has received a national grant to work on truancy,  poverty, substance abuse, family issues,  and other factors that contribute to   community health needs, such as youth disconnect.