Firearm-related deaths continue to be the leading cause of death among children in the USA, with rates rising in recent years, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics this week.
In 2021, firearms continued to be the leading cause of death among American children. From 2018 to 2021, there was a 41.6% increase in the firearm death rate. High poverty levels correlated with an increased firearm death rate across the USA.
Findings determined that a significant majority of firearm deaths, 84.8%, involved men, and that nearly half of all firearm deaths, 49.9%, occurred among Black Americans.
More than eight out of 10 firearm deaths (80%) involved people aged 15 to 19 years old, and over 65% died by homicide, the study showed.
Black children accounted for 67.3% of firearm homicides.
White children accounted for 78.4% of firearm suicides, the study said. The suicide rate increased among Black and white children from 2020 to 2021, but decreased among American Indian and Alaskan Native children.
The findings demonstrate the urgent need for further surveillance of the firearm death epidemic and the implementation of strategies to prevent such fatalities among children at highest risk.
The study utilized US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mortality data based on death certificates filed in all 50 states and Washington, DC. The study was led by Dr. Chethan Sathya, director of Northwell Health’s Center for Gun Violence Prevention.
Sputnik / ABC Flash Point News 2023.
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