A study from the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows a 19 percent rise in U.S. poverty levels since 2005, NBC Latino reports. Associated research also finds the increase has disproportionately affected Latino children, with an estimated 35 percent now living at or below poverty level—a 2 percent rise from 2010. Experts say health care and education are two areas where policy makers can most effectively combat poverty among Latino youth. They cite research findings that literacy, high school graduation rates, health care access, drug abuse levels and mortality rates are linked when evaluating the community’s well-being.