Firearm-related deaths among youth rose during COVID-19 pandemic, says Kaiser report – cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio Firearm-related deaths increased among children and adolescents after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, with seven children per day dying by firearm in 2022, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation report on the impact of gun violence on children and teens.

The United States has the highest rate of children and teens ages 17 and below dying from firearm violence compared to similar countries, the report said. Firearms now kill more children and teens than any other cause, surpassing car crashes, and youth who are exposed to gun violence are at greater risk for mental health problems, according to the report.

Among the findings:

Firearm deaths up in Ohio, surrounding states

Ohio had a 50% increase in firearm death rates per 100,000 children and adolescents, when the Kaiser report also looked at U.S. states and the percent of change in firearm death rates. This section of the report compared pre-pandemic years (2017-19) against pandemic years (2020-21).

Firearm death rates were per 100,000 children and adolescents in 2020-21. Data was not available for several states.

Here are Ohio and its contiguous states, ranked from highest percentage to lowest:

Among all U.S. States, North Carolina had the highest increase in firearm death rates (104%), followed by Wisconsin (100%).

Julie Washington covers healthcare for cleveland.com. Read previous stories at this link.

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Firearm-related deaths among youth rose during COVID-19 pandemic, says Kaiser report - cleveland.com