2026 Report: The health of women and children
Discover key trends in women's and children's health, with insights into how employers can tailor benefit strategies accordingly.
For a decade now, the United Health Foundation® — a nonprofit, private foundation established by UnitedHealth Group (parent company of UnitedHealthcare) — has been tracking the health of some of the nation's most vulnerable populations. The recently released America’s Health Rankings® 2026 Health of Women and Children Report, which analyzed 125 health and well-being measures across all 50 states, marks the 10th annual edition of this landmark assessment. The report paints a complex portrait of women's and children's health in America — one marked by encouraging progress alongside persistent challenges.
For employers who provide group health benefits, understanding these trends is critical to designing a benefits package that meets the evolving needs of the women and working parents in their workforce.
A decade of measurable progress
Over the past decade, several measures have improved for women and children:
- Infant mortality decreased 7% between 2012–2013 and 2022–2023
- Neonatal abstinence syndrome — withdrawal symptoms in newborns due to prenatal drug exposure — decreased 25% between 2016 and 2023
- Share of infants exclusively breastfed for 6 months increased 27% between the 2012 and 2022 birth cohorts
- Share of children living in poverty decreased 29% between 2014 and 2024
- Cigarette smoking during pregnancy decreased 71% between 2014 and 2024 and decreased 52% for women overall between 2013–2014 and 2023–2024
- Share of children living in households where someone uses cigarettes, cigars or pipe tobacco decreased 34% between 2016–2017 and 2023–2024
- High school graduation rates increased 7% between the 2012–2013 and 2022–2023 school years
- College graduation among women ages 25–44 increased 9% between 2017–2018 and 2023–2024
- Well-women visits for women increased 10% between 2013–2014 and 2023–2024
Where progress has fallen short
Despite gains in preventive care and other factors that shape health, several outcomes worsened:
- Severe maternal morbidity — significant life-threatening complications during delivery — increased 36% between 2016 and 2023
- Maternal mortality increased 34% between 2014–2018 and 2020–2024
- Child mortality — deaths among children ages 1–19 per 100,000 children — increased 18% between 2012–2014 and 2022–2024
- Injury deaths among children increased 25% between 2012–2014 and 2022–2024
- Frequent mental distress among women increased 62% between 2013–2014 and 2023–2024
- Diagnosed mental health conditions among children increased 32% between 2016–2017 and 2023–2024
- Share of children who were flourishing — a measure of social and emotional well-being — decreased 28% between 2016–2017 and 2023–2024
- Drug deaths among women increased 50% between 2014–2016 and 2022–2024, although the rate decreased 3% between 2019–2021 and 2022–2024
- E-cigarette use among women increased 121% between 2018 and 2023–2024
- Among children, well-child visits decreased 3%, adequate insurance decreased 5% and access to a medical home — coordinated, ongoing care from a usual source — decreased 6% between 2016–2017 and 2023–2024 (despite the supply of pediatricians increasing 18% between September 2019 and September 2025)
- 18.5% of women ages 18–44 reported avoiding care due to cost in 2023–2024 (despite well-visits for women increasing 10% between 2013–2014 and 2023–2024)
- Food insecurity increased 28% between 2019–2021 and 2022–2024 (despite decreasing 7% between 2012–2014 and 2022–2024)
- Housing cost burden among households with children increased 3% between 2019 and 2024 (despite decreasing 13% between 2014 and 2024)
Where employers can make a difference
The findings suggest that supporting women and families may require more than access to benefits alone. Employers may want to consider how affordability, navigation, preventive care and support outside the clinical setting influence whether employees and their families can use their benefits effectively.
Based on the insights brought forward in this report — and the fact that women of reproductive age and children made up nearly 40% of the U.S. population as of 2024 — employers may want to consider how their benefit strategy can better support women, children and working families.
Support women and families across their lifespan: Employers may want to evaluate how benefits address women’s changing needs — from family planning and maternity care through menopause — alongside support for working parents. Flexible work arrangements, paid leave, caregiver resources and help navigating pediatric and family benefits may help employees balance their own care and their families’ needs with work responsibilities.
Reduce barriers to preventive care: The increase in annual checkups for women is encouraging, but the picture for children is different. Even as the number of pediatricians grew, fewer children had annual checkups or a consistent place to go for care. Employers can help employees understand preventive benefits and reduce barriers through clear communications, care navigation and low- or no-cost preventive services.
Expand behavioral health and substance use support: Rising mental health challenges among women and children, along with elevated drug deaths among women, point to the value of accessible behavioral health, substance use and crisis support for employees and their families. UnitedHealthcare offers a range of behavioral health solutions — from self-care tools and coaching to virtual and in-person therapy and higher-level care — designed to help guide adults, youth and caregivers to the right support as their needs change.
Address nicotine use more broadly: Declines in cigarette smoking are meaningful, but the increase in e-cigarette use suggests cessation programs and communications may need to address vaping and other forms of nicotine use alongside traditional tobacco. Programs such as Quit For Life® offer personalized coaching and digital resources to help eligible employees quit smoking, vaping or using other tobacco products.
Consider the broader factors shaping health: Recent increases in food insecurity and housing costs may affect employees' ability to prioritize care. Employee assistance programs, financial well-being resources and connections to community support can help address whole-person needs that extend beyond the health plan.
Use data to identify where support is most needed: State and demographic differences in the report can help employers better understand where benefits communications, provider access and support programs may need to be tailored. Employers may want to work with their carriers and advisors to help ensure they are offering inclusive provider networks, culturally responsive care and resources in multiple languages.
Looking ahead
The 2026 Health of Women and Children Report shows that sustained attention can improve health behaviors, access to care and socioeconomic conditions. At the same time, worsening maternal, mental health and child mortality outcomes reinforce that progress in one area does not automatically translate into better overall health.
For employers and their advisors, the findings offer an opportunity to look across the full health journey and consider whether benefits are accessible, affordable and easy to navigate. Thoughtful support for women, children and working parents may help employees engage with care earlier and sustain healthier behaviors over time.
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