Infant Mortality Rates in the United States
March 6, 2018The United States has some of the best hospitals in the world, where patients come to receive innovative, high quality care from world-renowned physicians. Yet, according to a study that was recently published in Health Affairs, the United States has the worst overall child mortality rates, compared to other developed countries. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that infant mortality rates are higher in certain states than others. The CDC and other public health officials looked at the key factors that cause infant and child fatalities.
Dr. Ashish Thakrar, internal medicine resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System in Baltimore, is the lead author of the study that examined child mortality rates between 1961 and 2010. The study looked at the child mortality rates in 35 wealthy countries, including the United States. According to Thakrar, more children have suffered fatal injuries in the United States than any other developed country, which is an extremely alarming statistic.
Research shows that there was a gradual decline in mortality rates from 1961 to 2010 for all the countries studied, including the United States. However, the mortality rate fell at a slower pace in the United States. In addition, from 2001 to 2010, the mortality rate in this country was approximately 75 percent higher for infants, and 50 percent higher for children between the ages of one and 19, compared to the average rate of the other countries in the study.
Explanation for High Mortality Rates in the US
According to Thakrar, the main causes of infant deaths were premature births and sudden infant death syndrome, while the main causes of child and teen fatalities were injuries related to car accidents and gun violence. In fact, according to the study, 15 to 19-year-old boys in the United States are 82 times more likely to suffer fatal injuries from a gun-related injury than in any other developed country. Close to 1,500 children are killed each year in the United States from gun violence.
Lindsay Start, Associate Professor of Population and Family Health at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, said that the main reasons for the high mortality rates is perinatal mortality, including maternal conditions that directly affect the fetus, and fatalities related to firearms. These are fatalities that could have been prevented with the right prenatal care and more effective public policies. The system is failing mothers and children, particularly those who live in certain areas with persisting social disparities.
Baltimore Medical Malpractice Lawyers at LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton Advocate for Victims of Medical Negligence
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