Division of Pediatric Surgery, Cohen Children's Medical Center, Queens, New York.
Institute for Health System Science, Feinstein Institutes.
Pediatrics. 2023 Sep 1;152(3). doi: 10.1542/peds.2023-061296.
In 2020, firearm injuries became the leading cause of death among US children and adolescents. This study aimed to evaluate new 2021 data on US pediatric firearm deaths and disparities to understand trends compared with previous years.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research was queried for firearm mortalities in children/adolescents from 2018 to 2021. Absolute mortality, death rates, and characteristics were reported. Death rates were defined per 100 000 persons in that population per year. Death rates across states were illustrated via geographic heat maps, and correlations with state poverty levels were calculated.
In 2021, firearms continued to be the leading cause of death among US children. From 2018 to 2021, there was a 41.6% increase in the firearm death rate. In 2021, among children who died by firearms, 84.8% were male, 49.9% were Black, 82.6% were aged 15 to 19 years, and 64.3% died by homicide. Black children accounted for 67.3% of firearm homicides, with a death rate increase of 1.8 from 2020 to 2021. White children accounted for 78.4% of firearm suicides. From 2020 to 2021, the suicide rate increased among Black and white children, yet decreased among American Indian or Alaskan Native children. Geographically, there were worsening clusters of firearm death rates in Southern states and increasing rates in Midwestern states from 2018 to 2021. Across the United States, higher poverty levels correlated with higher firearm death rates (R = 0.76, P < .001).
US pediatric firearm deaths increased in 2021, above the spike in 2020, with worsening disparities. Implementation of prevention strategies and policies among communities at highest risk is critical.
2020 年，枪支伤害成为美国儿童和青少年的主要死因。本研究旨在评估 2021 年美国儿科枪支死亡的新数据和差异，以了解与前几年相比的趋势。
通过疾病控制与预防中心广泛在线流行病学研究数据，查询了 2018 年至 2021 年儿童/青少年的枪支死亡率。报告了绝对死亡率、死亡率和特征。死亡率按该人群每年每 10 万人计算。通过地理热图展示各州的死亡率，并计算与州贫困水平的相关性。
2021 年，枪支继续成为美国儿童的主要死因。2018 年至 2021 年，枪支死亡率上升了 41.6%。2021 年，死于枪支的儿童中，84.8%为男性，49.9%为黑人，82.6%年龄在 15 至 19 岁之间，64.3%死于凶杀。黑人儿童占枪支凶杀案的 67.3%，2020 年至 2021 年，枪支凶杀案死亡率上升了 1.8%。白人儿童占枪支自杀案的 78.4%。2020 年至 2021 年，黑人和白人儿童的自杀率上升，而美国印第安人或阿拉斯加原住民儿童的自杀率下降。从 2018 年至 2021 年，地理上看，南部各州的枪支死亡率不断上升，中西部各州的死亡率不断上升。在美国各地，较高的贫困水平与较高的枪支死亡率相关（R = 0.76，P <.001）。
2021 年美国儿科枪支死亡人数增加，高于 2020 年的高峰，且差异恶化。在风险最高的社区实施预防策略和政策至关重要。
