Recent Increases in Injury Mortality Among Children and Adolescents Aged 10-19 Years in the United States: 1999-2016

Abstract

This report presents numbers of injury deaths and death rates for children and adolescents aged 10-19 years in the United States for 1999-2016. Numbers and rates are presented by sex for 1999-2016, by injury intent (e.g., unintentional, suicide, and homicide) and method (e.g., motor vehicle traffic, firearms, and suffocation). Numbers and rates of death according to leading injury intents and methods are shown by sex for ages 10-14 years and 15-19 years for 2016. Mortality statistics in this report are based on information from death certificates filed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Injury deaths are classified by the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision; underlying cause-of-death codes *U01-*U03, V01-Y36, Y85-Y87, and Y89. Death rates are calculated per 100,000 population. Ranking of the three leading intents of injury deaths and methods are based on numbers of deaths. The total death rate for persons aged 10-19 years declined 33% between 1999 (44.4 per 100,000 population) and 2013 (29.6) and then increased 12% between 2013 and 2016 (33.1). This recent rise is attributable to an increase in injury deaths for persons aged 10-19 years during 2013-2016. Increases occurred among all three leading injury intents (unintentional, suicide, and homicide) during 2013-2016. Unintentional injury, the leading injury intent for children and adolescents aged 10-19 years in 2016, declined 49% between 1999 (20.6) and 2013 (10.6), and then increased 13% between 2013 and 2016 (12.0). The death rate for suicide, the second leading injury intent among ages 10-19 years in 2016, declined 15% between 1999 and 2007 (from 4.6 to 3.9), and then increased 56% between 2007 and 2016 (6.1). The death rate for homicide, the third leading intent of injury death in 2016, fluctuated and then declined 35% between 2007 (5.7) and 2014 (3.7) before increasing 27%, to 4.7 in 2016.