All in all, being a kid in America is a pretty good thing.

An annual government study released Friday found that life for some 72 million children in the United States has gotten better on a number of fronts -- improved education, for example. More are covered by health insurance. Fewer teens are getting hooked on smoking, and fewer are having babies.

"Contrary to what many people may think, the nation's children are faring better in many respects than they have in previous years," said Dr. Duane Alexander, director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. "The report provides an accurate snapshot of our children, showing areas where strong gains have been made, and where we need to remain vigilant."

The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics looks at such factors as health, economics and education. The researchers said the biggest concern is that more babies are being born dangerously little but more are getting fat as they grow up.

One member of the panel noted that teen pregnancy and gun violence both fell after intense public attention, and he hopes the same thing will happen with obesity.

At least 15 percent of kids age 6 to 18 were overweight in 1999-2000, up from 11 percent in 1988-1994 and 6 percent in 1976-1980. And the study found that black girls and Mexican-American boys are at particularly high risk.

The report stated that the reasons for the increase in overweight children were not clear but suggested that eating out, diets low in fruits and vegetables, and lack of exercise probably play a role.

"The continued increase in overweight among America's children demands attention and calls for action," said Dr. Edward Sondik, director of the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children learn by example, so every American has to adopt healthier diets and become more physically active, he said.

The figures also show that the percentage of children living in married-couple families decreased from 72 percent in 1990 to 68 percent in 2000, and that this decline occurred in every state in the nation. Utah had the highest percentage of children living in married-couple families in both 1990 and 2000.

The report noted that in 2001, there were 72.6 million children in the United States, comprising 25 percent of the population. The percentage of children in the U.S. population peaked in 1964 at 36 percent.

In 2000, 64 percent of U.S. children were white, 16 percent were Hispanic, 15 percent were black, 4 percent were Asian/Pacific Islander, and 1 percent were American Indian/Alaska native.

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