The 2006 Maine Kids Count data book released Tuesday shows that, on the whole, Maine children and teens are thriving. But a county-by-county breakdown reveals wide disparities, and a leading children’s advocate says the data should be used to guide Maine lawmakers in making the state a better place for all youngsters to live.

Kids Count is released each year by the Augusta-based nonprofit Maine Children’s Alliance. Drawing on information from a variety of sources, the data book measures children’s physical and mental health, their social and economic status, and factors related to their education and learning.

Statewide, this year’s data book shows that high schoolers report reduced use of alcohol, marijuana and cigarettes compared to the 2005 study. Fewer teens reported suicide attempts or other symptoms of depression, fewer described themselves as significantly overweight and a greater number said they were engaged in regular physical activity. Teen birth rates also continued to decline.

On the negative side, hospitalizations for mental health diagnoses – not including substance abuse -in children between the ages of 6 and 17 increased more than 40 percent – from 1,815 in 2000 to 2,566 in 2004. The number of children and teens living in poverty went up, injuries to children in motor vehicle accidents increased, and the number of uninsured children eligible for Medicaid coverage but not enrolled in that program increased.

County comparisons reveal significant disparities.

More than 23 percent of children in Washington County were living in poverty in 2003, for example, while in Cumberland and York counties the figure is 10.3 percent. In Cumberland and York counties more than 91 percent of pregnant women began receiving prenatal care in the first three months of their pregnancies during 2003, while in Somerset County, less than 71 percent did. Statewide, an average of 87.4 percent of students earned a high school diploma in 2004, with a low of 77.6 percent in Piscataquis County and a high of 93.5 percent in Aroostook County. Domestic assault against juveniles reported to police in 2004 were highest in Androscoggin County and lowest in Piscataquis County, and arrests of juveniles that year were highest in Knox County and lowest in Washington County.

Elinor Goldberg, president of the Maine Children’s Alliance, said in an interview on Monday that the study is only as good as its data sources. For example, information on teen substance abuse is largely self-reported and therefore open to some skepticism, she noted. But because the school-administered Maine Youth Drug and Alcohol Use Survey has been used consistently for several years, Goldberg said, it reveals certain trends with some accuracy. And because no one has come up with a better way to get teens to discuss their drug use, “MYDAUS is what we have,” Goldberg said.

Data on increased mental health admissions only tell part of the story, Goldberg said. Because Maine has recently increased its ability to care for children in an acute mental health crisis, fewer of those children are being sent to out of state facilities for treatment – and that’s a good thing, she said.

State officials often get “nervous” about the annual Kids Count report, according to Goldberg, but the purpose of the study is not to assign blame for problems affecting Maine children. Rather, officials and lawmakers should use the data to guide them in making tough decisions about state spending and policy, she said.

The state Department of Health and Human Services has faced particular challenges in the past year, Goldberg noted, with a major reorganization, persistent funding problems and ongoing computer malfunctions affecting services to some degree. As the dust settles, she predicted DHHS will begin to respond more efficiently to Mainers’ needs. “It’s like turning a big ship around,” she said. “I’m not sure the turning point has been reached, but it’s moving in the right direction.”

As to the differences between Maine’s generally more affluent southern region and more hardscrabble northern and inland areas, Goldberg said, “Poverty is the worst possible indicator for kids, and children living in poverty face greater challenges to their well-being.”

The Kids Count project is funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which releases a national survey each summer in addition to supporting state-level surveys in all 50 states. In Maine, additional support comes from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Maine, Banknorth and the Bangor Daily News. The 2006 Maine Kids Count survey may be read online at www.mekids.org.