In this issue of JAMA, Wolf et al found that during the period from 2019 to 2021, the US experienced the greatest increase in all-cause pediatric fatalities (aged 1-19 years) in more than 50 years, with increased mortality disproportionately resulting from preventable injuries. Importantly, the authors identified widening racial and ethnic disparities across these preventable health outcomes, particularly for American Indian or Alaska Native and Black populations. The most stark differences were observed for homicide and suicide, with Black youth 10 times more likely to die by homicide and American Indian or Alaska Native youth almost 3 times more like to die by suicide compared with White youth. Among both populations, firearms remain the dominant mechanism of injury underlying homicide and suicide deaths, and firearm fatalities were identified by Wolf et al as one of the largest factors in observed disparities. Such findings are consistent with the trends that have been observed in the US throughout the past decade, where the firearm injury epidemic has continued to advance unabated and has now superseded motor vehicle crash deaths as the leading cause of death for US children and teens.
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School Shootings in US Reach Highest Recorded Levels
School shootings in the US surged over the past 25 years and mass shootings that occurred at kindergarten through 12th-grade school sites became more deadly, according to a study in Pediatrics.
The role of health and mental health care providers in gun violence prevention.
This article reviews developmental risk factors for involvement in youth gun violence, as well as evidence-based community programs to prevent gun violence. We then discuss ways in which health and mental health care providers can prevent youth gun violence and promote safety.
Pediatric Hospitalists at the Front Line of Gun Violence Prevention: Every Patient Encounter Is an Opportunity to Promote Safe Gun Storage
By adopting the mind-set of screening each child for unsecured guns in the home during every encounter and providing safe storage counseling, pediatric hospitalists can contribute to the medical community’s response to the epidemic of gun violence in our communities.
Impact of a Firearm Safety Device Distribution Intervention on Storage Practices After an Emergent Mental Health Visit
Distribution and training in the use of firearm storage devices increased TSS in the study population, improves pediatric safety and should be part of the routine care of these high-risk patients.
Effectiveness of Interventions to Promote Safe Firearm Storage
Seven clinic- and community-based studies published in 2000–2012 using counseling with or without safety device provision met the inclusion criteria. All 3 studies that provided a safety device significantly improved firearm storage practices, while 3 of 4 studies that provided no safety device failed to show an effect.