14 DAY TRIAL // Ten years ago studies showed that the deaths of poor children caused by injuries were 5 times higher than the same type of deaths in rich children, due to the social and environmental factors and conditions. Moreover, the main discrepancy among the social classes was in the cases of pedestrian and house fires incidents.
This year a new study has been undertaken on the same issue, to see if the class differences are the same as a decade ago. All the deaths caused by injury or poisoning of children aged between 0 and 15 that occurred in the meanwhile were investigated. The research was carried only in British and Welsh infants.
The results were both satisfying and dissatisfying, as the rate of poor children that died in the 10 years interval have extensively decreased from 11 children to 4 children in 100000. Nevertheless, the deaths caused by injuries in infants whose parents have never or seldom worked are 13 times higher than the deaths of infants whose parents occupy well-paid and high position in a company.
The greatest discrepancy between the social classes appears in the injuries and deaths caused by house fire and pedestrian deaths, because in this specific field of investigation poor children's deaths rate is 20 time higher than the rich infants'. Also, high inequality exists in the deaths that occurred when cycling or the ones that had no determined cause.
The team that made the investigation stated that even if still high, children's deaths due to injury have decreased in the last 20 years. However, the infants and teenagers that come from families where the parents have never been employed are an exception, as the rate of their deaths remains very high.