A
report
published in the latest issue of Pediatrics shows poverty and severe
abuse appear to be linked and that the highest death rate from abuse is
among infants 12 months old or younger. The report is the first broad
U.S. estimate of serious injuries due to child abuse.
The
researchers, who were led by Dr. John Levanthal of Yale
University, reviewed data from the 2006 Kids’ Inpatient Database, which
contains information on more than 2 million pediatric hospitalizations.
Based on the data, which is the last such numbers available, the team
found that six out of every 100,000 children under 18 were hospitalized
with injuries ranging from burns to wounds to brain injuries and bone
fractures. The report also showed that hospitalizations for physical
abuse were six times higher for children on Medicaid than children with
other payment methods, which indicates low-icome status, and that babies
younger than one were the most common victims.
Dr. Leventhal said
"We need a national campaign related to child abuse where every parent
is reminded that kids can get injured."
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