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Death Rates Higher in Non-White American Children

   New  study finds wide disparity in illness and death among children of
   different races

   Philip Graitcer | Atlanta, Georgia 07 April 2010

Photo: Photos.com

   A  new  study finds racial and ethnic disparities in children's health
   are pervasive in the United States.

   Asian, African-American, Hispanic, and Native American children in the
   United  States have higher rates of death and more illness compared to
   their white classmates.
   That's  the  finding  in a new study that analyzed data from more than
   750  published  studies conducted over the past 50 years on children's
   health and health care disparities.
   "Racial   and  ethnic  disparities  in  children's  health  are  quite
   extensive,  pervasive  and  persistent,"  says  Dr.  Glenn  Flores,  a
   pediatrician  at  the  University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
   and the report's lead author.
   Disparity in all areas of health
   Flores  says  these  differences  between minority kids and Caucasians
   were  noted  across  the spectrum of health and health care, including
   mortality,  access to care and use of services, prevention, population
   health,  health  status,  adolescent health, chronic diseases, special
   health care needs and organ transplantation.
   In  addition,  the  study revealed that minority children had a higher
   incidence  of HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, asthma, certain
   cancers,  and  even  success  rates  for treatment of kidney and heart
   diseases.
   These  differences  led  to  disproportionate  death rates. "Mortality
   disparities  were  noted  for  all  four  major U.S. racial and ethnic
   minorities groups," says Flores.
   What  was  particularly  disconcerting  to  Flores  was that even when
   studies  were  adjusted  for  such  things  as income, the differences
   remained.
   Recognizing disparity as a problem
   The  pediatrician  says  the  explanation for these differences is not
   apparent because clear and consistent data are not available.
   "Optimal  health  and  health  care  for  all  children  will  require
   recognition of disparities as pervasive problems, methodological sound
   disparity    studies,   and   rigorous   evaluation   of   disparities
   intervention," he says.
   Flores' study appears in the April issue of the journal [1]Pediatrics.

References

   1. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/125/4/e979

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