The health of North Carolina children is improving is several key areas, but in other aspects the Tar Heel state is lagging, according to a new study.

The 20th Annual Child Health Report Card was released Monday morning by the child advocacy group NC Child.

The report card found the number of uninsured children has decreased across the state, while the overall dental health improved. Also, the number of high school students graduating on time was up nearly eleven percent for the 2012-2013 academic year, when compared with 2008-2009. Another positive note was the finding the teen pregnancy rate was also down in North Carolina.

Overall health of children at birth was also improved and child fatalities, in general, were down.

There were negatives in the report. It found the percentage of children under age 18 living in poverty was up, and that 36 percent of children age 10-17 were overweight.

Teen cigarette use was down to 13.5 percent; meanwhile the number of teens using “Emerging Tobacco Products,” including e-cigarettes, was listed at 22.4 percent.

The number of high school students who said they had used marijuana in the last 30 days was 23 percent, that’s up from just under 20 percent in 2011. Meanwhile, reported alcohol, cocaine, and prescription pill use was down across the same age group.

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