Diarrheal deaths in American children. Are they preventable?
We reviewed national mortality data for 1973 through 1983 to assess the importance of diarrheal diseases as a cause of preventable childhood death in the United States. An average of 500 children aged 1 month to 4 years died each year with diarrhea reported as the cause of death. These diarrheal deaths were most common among children who were younger than 1 year of age, black, and living in the South, and were most common during the winter. In Mississippi, review of fatal cases of diarrhea identified maternal factors--black race, young age, unmarried status, low level of education, and little prenatal care--to be most associated with diarrheal death in the child. Fifty percent of these deaths occurred after a child had reached a medical facility. Our findings suggest that diarrheal deaths may be preventable and that targeted interventions could contribute to improved child survival in the United States.
Ho
M S
MS
Division of Viral Diseases, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA 30333.
Glass
R I
RI
Pinsky
P F
PF
Young-Okoh
N C
NC
Sappenfield
W M
WM
Buehler
J W
JW
Gunter
N
N
Anderson
L J
LJ
D000367:Age Factors; D001724:Birth Weight; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000517:prevention & control; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States