Disparities seen in firearm, motor vehicle crash fatalities in U.S. youth

Disparities exist in firearm and motor vehicle crash (MVC) fatalities among youth in the United States, according to a study published online Dec. 23 in JAMA Pediatrics.

Lois K. Lee, M.D., M.P.H., from Boston Children’s Hospital, and colleagues examined firearm and motor vehicle fatality rates by population subgroups in a cross-sectional study involving U.S. children and youths aged 0 to 19 years.

There were 35,684 firearm and 40,735 MVC fatalities among U.S. youths aged 0 to 19 years from 2011 to 2021. Among firearm fatalities, 59.8, 33.9, 3.8, 0.8, and 1.6 percent were homicides, suicides, unintentional shootings, by legal enforcement, and from unknown intents, respectively. The researchers found that the annual percentage changes (APCs) for firearm homicides for youths aged 15 to 19 years were similar for Black and Hispanic males (21.8 and 22.2 percent, respectively) from 2018 to 2021, with different peak rates (104.22 and 17.80 per 100,000 individuals, respectively, in 2021). A dramatic APC increase of 40.7 percent was seen from 2019 to 2021 for Black females aged 15 to 19 years (peak rate, 14.07 per 100,000 individuals). Black females had the greatest APC increase of 22.0 percent from 2016 to 2021 for firearm suicide in youths aged 10 to 19 years. The highest APC increase of 24.9 percent occurred among American Indian and Alaska Native females aged 15 to 19 years from 2018 to 2021 for MVC fatalities.

“Examining more specific characteristics about populations at higher risk for these deaths by age group, sex, and race and ethnicity are important to inform more focused and effective interventions,” the authors write.

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