Study Says U.S. Kids 70% More Likely To Die Before Adulthood Than In Peer Countries

What’s the story?

A research study that compared children’s mortality rates in 20 wealthy, developed countries found the U.S. came in last place, reports Vox. American children have a 70 percent greater chance of dying before adulthood than in any of the other countries surveyed.

Overall, infant mortality is down across all the countries surveyed, but the rate of decline is much lower in the U.S. According to the study, since 1961 in the U.S., 600,000 childhood deaths occurred that likely could have been prevented.

The three primary culprits contributing to poor child health outcomes in the U.S., say the study’s authors, appear to be a fragmented health care system, high rates of child poverty, and, for teenagers particularly, the ubiquity of guns.

From 2001 to 2010 U.S. infants were 76 percent more likely to die than in peer countries. American teenagers were 82 percent more likely to die from gun violence.

The peer countries surveyed in the study included Canada, France, Australia, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Critics of the study suggest that the peer countries surveyed do not track infant mortality as extensively as the U.S., which artificially depresses their statistics.

The release of the study is timely, as Congress continues to debate funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which provides health insurance to approximately 9 million children throughout the United States who might not otherwise be able to secure adequate coverage.

What do you think?

Are you concerned about childhood mortality rates in the U.S. or do you think the statistics are overblown? What do you think are the primary factors affecting childhood deaths in the U.S., and what should we do about them?

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— Asha Sanaker

(Photo Credit: Health.mil/ Creative Commons )*