PREVENTABLE CHILD AND YOUTH DEATHS

This indicator reports the number of deaths from unintentional and intentional injuries, including suicide and homicide. Leading causes of death by age group are also identified.

The death of every child is a tragedy for family and friends and a loss to the community. Along with the direct impact of a child’s death, the child death rate in a community is an important indicator for public health advocates and policymakers. A high rate can point to underlying problems, such as violent neighborhoods or inadequate child supervision.1 Unintentional childhood mortality due to injury is strongly inversely related to median income and thus, a solid indicator of poverty. It can also point to inequities, for example, in access to health care or safe places to play.2 Because children are much more likely to die during the first year of life (infancy) than they are at older ages, trends in infant mortality are discussed separately (page 16).

• Orange County’s overall injury death rate for children has increased 2.2% from 9.1 per 100,000 children ages one to 19 years in 2007 to 9.3 per 100,000 children in 2016, which is lower than California’s rate of 11.3 in 2016.

• The unintentional injury death rate (e.g., accidental poisoning, motor vehicle accident, or drowning) decreased 33% from a peak rate of 6.9 per 100,000 children in 2007 to 4.6 per 100,000 children in 2016.

• Despite this decrease, unintentional injuries accounted for the highest average number (37 per year) and rate (4.8 per 100,000) of all injury deaths to children between 2014 and 2016, followed by cancer (21 per year) and suicide (16 per year).

• Suicide rates for children have increased 150% from 1.0 per 100,000 children ages one to 19 years in 2007 to 2.5 per 100,000 children in 2016. Homicide rates have also increased by 72.7%, from 1.1 per 100,000 children ages one to 19 years in 2007 to 1.9 per 100,000 children in 2016.

• Over half (52.3%) of all child and youth deaths were among older teens (ages 15 to 19).

• Male mortality rate increased 54% from 17.0 per 100,000 in 2015 to 26.2 per 100,000 in 2016. During the same period, the female mortality rate remained stable (13.7 per 100,000 in 2015 and 13.6 per 100,000 in 2016).

• White, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander groups had higher rates in 2016 when compared to 2015 (19.4 vs 13.9, 20.2 vs 16.8, and 21.2 vs 15.7, respectively).

Injury, Unintentional Injury, Suicide and Homicide, Rate Per 100,000 Children, One to 19 Years Old 2007 to 2016

Overall Mortality Rates for Children, One to 19 Years Old, by Race/Ethnicity Orange County, 2012 to 2016

Leading Causes of Death for Children One to 19 Years Old, by Age Group and Number of Deaths,

FIRST LEADING CAUSE SECOND LEADING CAUSE THIRD LEADING CAUSE