Child death rates plunge
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 14 years AGO
Good news for American families: According to the Centers for Disease Control, children are safer than they were 10 years ago. The No. 1 cause of death for children and adolescents through age 19 - accidental death - fell more than 30 percent in the past decade (from 15.5 to 11 deaths per 100,000). The CDC's Vital Signs report released in April states 11,000 more children's lives were spared.
The most notable decrease occurred in auto travel. Increased seat belt use is part of that, but automakers deserve some credit. Advances in vehicle design have led to 41 percent fewer deaths when accidents do occur. Traffic fatalities account for about half of child deaths.
Other areas of accidental death and injury also fell during the 10-year study period of 2000-2010. Deaths from drowning (28 percent fewer), fire/burns (45 percent fewer), and falls (19 percent fewer) also dropped. However encouraging are these numbers, the U.S. still ranks higher than other high-income countries; our rates are several hundred percent higher than the rates of Canada, France, and the U.K. Also some types of child accidental death actually increased.
Infant suffocation in the U.S. jumped 54 percent. Babies may suffer accidental suffocation from sleeping on their stomachs, in parents' beds, or with items (e.g., stuffed animals, loose sheets) in the crib. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends always placing them on their backs to sleep and keeping the crib free of stuffed animals and loose sheets.
The most alarming increase was in teen poisoning, which saw a 91 percent increase through 2010 among children ages 15 to 19. According to the report, this was largely a result of prescription drug overdoses. Poisoning overall, including accidental ingestion such as cleaning fluid by younger kids, was up by 80 percent.
Mississippi ranks at the bottom with the most child deaths, 25 per 100,000. Also with high rates (18 to 24.9) are Montana, Wyoming, and Louisiana. Massachusetts ranks best at only 4 per 100,000; other states which ranked fewer than 10 include California, New York, and Washington. Idaho ranks in the 11 to 17 range.
Every four seconds, an emergency room treats a child for accidental injury. For prevention tips see Cdc.gov/safechild.
Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. [email protected]