INSIDE WVSMA
Editor’ s Letter
Reading Deficits in West Virginia Impacting Medical School Admissions
Linda S. Nield, MD
GUEST AUTHORS:
Jennifer K. Gerlach, MD President, American Academy of Pediatrics-West Virginia Chapter Associate Professor of Pediatrics Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
The decline in enrollment in the public institutes of higher education in West Virginia( WV) 1 will, logically, negatively affect the number of state residents applying to our medical schools. The illiteracy rates in the state, among other factors, also have an impact on medical school admissions. Our guest author, Jennifer K. Gerlach, MD, is the president of the West Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics( AAP), an associate professor of pediatrics at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, and a literacy champion. Here, we raise awareness about reading deficits in WV and discuss actions parents can enact and physicians can recommend to enhance children’ s reading skills.
Statistics from 2023 reveal that 53.4 % of WV’ s fourth graders do not read at grade level. 2 These rates of reading deficits correlate with poverty rates when broken down by county. Putnam County leads the state with a ~ 62 % reading proficiency rate among fourth graders while Monroe County is at ~ 20 % proficiency. Literacy is more than just the ability to read a book; it is a social driver of health with lifelong effects. Children living at or below the poverty line are more likely to have reading deficits and learning disabilities and the need to repeat a school grade level. 3 The 2024 AAP Literacy Policy statement says that children from low socioeconomic families have less access to books and shared reading time with parents. 3 Poor reading skills in adults may translate to lower economic success and poorer health. 3
Reading aloud to children is a major effective intervention that can improve cognition, language skills, literacy, and increase children’ s interest in reading. 3 Children benefit from reading together with parents and other caregivers early and often. The intimacy shared between a parent and child during reading times can foster positive associations with the act of reading. All families, no matter their socioeconomic status, can get free access to books by borrowing from public libraries. Parents should ask their pediatricians about the Reach Out and Read program and Dolly Parton’ s Imagination Library, both of which supply books to children free of charge. Along with encouraging parents and grandparents to read early and often to their children and grandchildren, caregivers must also be discouraged to allow children to engage in screen time. Sixty-five percent of children aged 2 years to 17 years in the United States spend at least two hours per day on some sort of screened device. 4 Increased screen time among children is associated with an array of issues including sleep disorders, inadequate school performance, less reading time, and less physical activity. 5
Circling back to the expected decline in enrollment numbers of West Virginians in public institutions, it is even more imperative that we optimize the reading skills of all our citizens starting in early childhood. Having strong readers in childhood may be the first step in increasing the robust pool of WV residents who will apply to our medical schools in the future.
REFERENCES
1. West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. Enrollment Snapshots. Available at: https:// www. wvhepc. edu / resources / data-and-publication-center / data-centerenrollment /. Accessed on August 11, 2025.
2. Marshall University Center of Excellence for Recover. Data Dashboard. Available at: https:// dashboard. mucenterofexcellence. org / education. html. Accessed on September 16, 2025.
3. American Academy of Pediatrics. Literacy Promotion: An Essential Component of Primary Care Pediatrics: Policy Statement. Pediatrics. 2024; 154( 6): e2024069090.
4. QuickStats: Percentage of children aged 2-17 years with > 2 hours of screen time per weekday, by sex and age group- National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2020. MMWR. 2022:71:106.
5. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Facts for Families Screen Time and Children. No. 54. Updated June 2025. Available at: https:// www. aacap. org / AACAP / Families _ and _ Youth / Facts _ for _ Families / FFF-Guide / Children-And- Watching-TV-054. aspx. Accessed on September 16, 2025.
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