Some background: A frightening trend examined more closely.
Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University and Richmond Children's Hospital previously found that child and adolescent mortality rates increased by 18 percent between 2019 and 2021. The number of trauma-related deaths has increased so dramatically that it has overshadowed all public health advances.
To dig deeper into this alarming trend, the group obtained death certificate data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's public WONDER database and analyzed data by race, ethnicity, and cause of death for children ages 1 to 19. stratified into /Alaska Native children not only had significantly higher mortality rates than white children, but disparities that had been improving until 2013 were widening.
The data also reveals that while overall child mortality rates began to worsen around 2020, mortality rates for Black, American Indian, and Hispanic children began to increase much earlier, around 2014. did.
Between 2014 and 2020, mortality rates for Black children and teens increased by about 37 percent, and mortality rates for Native American youth increased by about 22 percent. By comparison, the mortality rate for white youth was less than 5 percent.
“We knew we would find a disparity, but it certainly wasn't this large,” said Dr. Stephen Wolf, a professor of family medicine at VCU School of Medicine who worked on the study. “We were shocked.”
The numbers: Injuries, especially firearm injuries, are increasing disparities.
Racial and ethnic disparities were most pronounced when injuries were separated from other causes of death. For example, from 2016 to 2020, Black children died by homicide at 10 times the rate of white children. Dr. Elizabeth Wolfe, lead author of the study and associate professor of pediatrics at the VCU School of Medicine, said when comparing accidental and intentional injuries: The stark reality of the mental health crisis has become clear.
Native American children committed suicide at more than twice the rate of white children, and suicide rates among white children were already high.
“As a pediatrician, it really took my breath away,” she said.
Gun-related death rates, including accidents, homicides, and suicides, are two to four times higher for Black and Native American youth than white youth, and the risk of dying from gun-related injuries is twice that of Black and Native American youth. That was it. Between 2013 and 2020.
Researchers also looked at disparities in other causes of death. For example, Native American children died from pneumonia and influenza at three times the rate of white children, and black children died from asthma at nearly eight times the rate of white children.
What happens next: Deeper research and policy change.
This particular study did not examine all variables that contribute to the causes of illness, injury, and death in children. Dr Wolf said he hoped the paper would serve as a “wake-up call” and encourage researchers to take a closer look at the underlying factors.
For example, understanding why car crash deaths are increasing could determine whether intersection redesign or targeted seatbelt-wearing campaigns are the most effective interventions for specific groups. .
Regarding other childhood deaths, access to care is poor, given that black children with cardiovascular disease are less likely to be referred for transplantation and less likely to have successful surgeries than white children. Access is likely to be a factor. Asthma-related morbidity and mortality can be influenced by socio-economic and environmental factors such as air pollution, as well as the availability of interventions such as inhalers.
At the same time, Dr. Wolf said policymakers should not wait for “further research to identify obvious next steps,” such as child mental health supports or stronger gun laws. Public awareness of gun violence among children often focuses on school shootings, but statistically speaking, “the vast majority of them are in communities across our country, one at a time every day. It's happening,” he said.
