A study of more than 1 million U.S. children over 11 years found those living in very low opportunity neighborhoods were 1.3 times more likely to die than those in very high opportunity neighborhoods, according to a study published in the April 2023 Pediatrics. The study, “Neighborhood Opportunity and Mortality among Children and Adults in their Households” (published online March 22) also found that children in very low opportunity neighborhoods had 1.6 times the risk of experiencing the death of a caregiver relative to those in very high opportunity neighborhoods. Researchers used the Child Opportunity Index to define neighborhood opportunity. The index combines information on 29 neighborhood features that are known predictors of healthy child development. It also captures the larger adversity created by overlapping forms of neighborhood disadvantage and reflects how structural racism has generated inequities in access to neighborhood opportunity. During an 11-year follow-up, 4,600 children among the 1,025,000 included in the analysis died; 12% of these deaths were among children from birth to 5 years; 25% were among children ages 6 to 11; the remaining 63% were among children 12 to 17 years old. Children who died over the follow-up period were also disproportionately likely to be male, non-Hispanic Black, and live in households with lower educational attainment and income and less likely to live in a household with married adults. In addition, a total of 71,000 children experienced the death of a caregiver. The authors observe that this type of research offers potential to develop strategies and interventions that are place-based to reduce preventable causes of death. More nuanced research on the Child Opportunity Index in relation to deaths is needed to inform potential policies affecting environmental, educational, and healthcare systems, they conclude.
###
The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.