JACKSON - A new study on the well-being of America's children ranks Mississippi at the bottom of the nation.

The 2003 Kids Count Data Book shows Mississippi improved between 1990 and 2000 on 7 of 10 measures, including infant mortality, child deaths, teen deaths and child poverty rates.

But the improvement was only slight, and the state suffered setbacks in other areas, including the rate of low birth weight babies, which increased to 10.7 percent from 9.6 percent, and an increase of single-parent homes to 34 percent from 28 percent.

The 14th annual data book, compiled by the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore, ranks Mississippi 50th among the states based on government data.

The report said that while national trends in child well-being have been positive, there is still a wide variation among states in several critical indicators.

For example, child poverty rates ranged from less than 10 percent in New Hampshire and Minnesota to more than 25 percent in Mississippi and two other states.

"You waste time and money trying to beat odds like that. You have to change the odds," said Jane Boykin, president of the Mississippi Forum on Children and Families, a Jackson-based advocacy group.

The Kids Count report included examples of both public and private initiatives around the country that help low-income families get financial security. The report advocates attracting mainstream retailers into low-income areas.

"We need to help improve neighborhoods. They don't make enough to move out of poverty and move out of those neighborhoods," Boykin said. "We need to encourage businesses in these low-income neighborhoods."

In the past, she said, Mississippi has patterned its programs after those in other states. She said the state needs to take a different approach.

"No one has our problems," she said.