On kidsdata.org, child/youth death rates are provided by age, ethnicity, and cause of death.
Specifically, the following indicators are available:
Rates are provided as three-year averages. To show comparable information at the local and state levels, kidsdata.org lists only the leading causes of death in children for the state of California. The leading causes of child deaths in California are very similar to the leading causes locally and nationally. The Infant Mortality Rate is shown separately on kidsdata.org.
The national leading cause of death for children/youth ages 1-24 is unintentional injuries, such as car accidents and falls (1). In recent years, the leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths among 1- to 4-year-olds was drowning; among 5- to 24-year-olds, it was motor vehicle accidents (1). Homicide, suicide, cancer, heart disease, and congenital abnormalities are the other leading causes of death for children/youth ages 1-24 in the U.S. (1).
Many fatal injuries can be prevented through environmental, behavioral, social, and legislative change (2). Death rates from injuries, and overall death rates, are higher for boys than girls (3). Differences between racial/ethnic groups also are evident, with death rates among American Indian/Alaska Native and African American/Black children consistently higher than those of other groups, nationwide (3).
Find more information about child and adolescent death in kidsdata.org's Research & Links section.
Sources for this narrative:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Injury Prevention & Control: Data & Statistics (WISQARS). (2009). Leading causes of death 1999-2009, national or regional. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/leading_causes_death.html
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (April, 2012). Child injury. CDC Vital Signs. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/VitalSigns/pdf/2012-04-vitalsigns.pdf
- Child Trends. (2011). Infant, child, and teen mortality. Retrieved from: http://www.childtrends.org/?indicators=infant-child-and-teen-mortality
The untimely death of a child over 1 year old most often results from preventable causes that public policy can address—such as accidents, the leading cause of death among ages 1-24 in California (1). Among adolescents and young adults, homicide and suicide are the second and third leading causes of death, respectively. Youth homicide most often occurs at the hands of a relative or acquaintance or in a gang-related incident (2).
According to research and subject experts, policies that could reduce child and youth death include:
- Ensuring that existing motor vehicle safety laws are enforced, including those concerning seat belts, car seats, and drunk driving (3)
- Preventing child abuse/neglect and supporting positive emotional health by promoting safe, stable, and nurturing relationships between caregivers and children; this may be done through efforts such as home visiting programs, hospital-based education programs for new mothers, and comprehensive child development centers that provide resources for children and parents (4). Social factors associated with child maltreatment also should be addressed, e.g. neighborhood economic stress and poverty.
- Setting school policies that foster "school connectedness" (i.e. the belief by students that adults and peers care about them), which is a strong protective factor against risk-taking behaviors, such as violence, drinking and driving, and not wearing a seat belt (5)
- Providing routine and accessible mental health screening and services to youth to address depression and prevent suicide (6, 7)
- Addressing risk factors for gang involvement by strengthening families (e.g. stability, parental supervision and support, and financial security) and schools (e.g. promoting safe, caring environments with evidence-based discipline policies), improving community supervision and engagement of youth, training teachers and parents to effectively manage disruptive behavior by youth, and teaching students interpersonal skills (8)
- Supporting continued pediatric cancer research to promote advances in understanding of risk factors and treatments, as cancer is among the leading causes of childhood death (9)
For more policy ideas about preventing injuries that can result in death, see SafeKids USA. Also see kidsdata.org's Research & Links section and the Policy Implications under these topics: Injuries, Suicide and Self-Inflicted Injury, Gang Involvement, School Connectedness, Cancer, and Infant Mortality.
Sources for this narrative:
- As cited on kidsdata.org, Death rate, ages 1-24, by leading cause, 2008-2010. California Department of Public Health, Center for Health Statistics, Vital Statistics Section, CD-Rom Public Use Death Files; State of California, Department of Finance, Race/Ethnic Population with Age and Sex Detail, 1990-1999, 2000-2050. Retrieved from: http://www.dof.ca.gov
- Tita, et al. (2010). Homicide in California 1981-2008: Measuring the impact of Los Angeles and gangs on overall homicide patterns. Governor’s Office of Gang and Youth Violence Policy. Retrieved from: http://www.calgrip.ca.gov/documents/Homicide_CA_1981_2008_Tita.pdf
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2001). Recommendations to reduce injuries to motor vehicle occupants: Increasing child safety seat use, increasing safety belt use, and reducing alcohol-impaired driving. Guide to Community Preventive Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK14104/
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). Preventing child maltreatment through the promotion of safe, stable, nurturing relationships between children and caregivers. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/CM_Strategic_Direction--Long-a.pdf
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). School connectedness: Strategies for increasing protective factors among youth. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/adolescenthealth/pdf/connectedness.pdf
- American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Mental Health. (2010). The Case for Routine Mental Health Screening. Pediatrics, 125(S3), S133-139. Retrieved from: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/125/Supplement_3.toc
- Mann, et al. (2005). Suicide prevention strategies: A systemic review. JAMA, 294(16), 2064-2074. Retrieved from: http://dhmh.maryland.gov/suicideprevention/Suicide%20prevention%20strategies-systematic%20review.pdf
- Howell, J. C. (2010). Gang prevention: An overview of research and programs. Juvenile Justice Bulletin, U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved from: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/231116.pdf
- Castellino et al. (2010). Outcomes for Children and Adolescents with Cancer: Challenges for the 21st Century. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 28(15), 2625-2634. Retrieved from: http://jco.ascopubs.org/content/28/15/2625.full.pdf
Over the last decade, the leading cause of death for all children/youth ages 1-24 in California and nationwide has been unintentional injuries, such as car accidents, drowning, and falls. In California, the rate of deaths among children and youth ages 1-24 declined from 41.1 per 100,000 in 1996-98 to 33.5 in 2008-10. This decline was echoed at the national and county level. Specifically, between 1996-98 and 2008-10, child/youth death rates declined in 33 of the 41 California counties with available data.
Child/youth death rates vary widely among counties, ranging from 20.7 to 55.7 per 100,000 in 2008-10. Variation also exists among age groups. For example, young adults ages 20-24 consistently have the highest death rate (72.1 in 2008-10, statewide) compared to other age groups, and children ages 5-14 have the lowest (11.6). Among racial/ethnic groups in California, African American/Black children and youth have the highest rates of death (69.6 in 2008-10), at least twice that of white (34.9) and Hispanic/Latino youth (32.0), and more than three times that of Asian/Pacific Islander youth (21.2). American Indian/Alaska Native children and youth have the second-highest rate of death (52.3).