Teen gun deaths, heart deaths down in U.S. -- report

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Fewer U.S. teens and children are being killed by gunfire, perhaps because of crime prevention efforts, the U.S. government said on Monday.

The latest report on deaths in the United States shows the number of firearm deaths for youths under the age of 20 fell by 10 percent in 1998 from 1997, and 35 percent since 1994.

Other data from the National Center for Health Statistics report show that life expectancy at birth increased to a record high of 76.7 years in 1998, up from 76.5 in 1997. It found that deaths from atherosclerosis, the buildup of fat in the arteries, fell by nearly 10 percent in 1998.

The annual report found strong racial disparities remain, with black Americans much more likely to die than white Americans from a variety of causes.

According to the report, 3,792 children and adolescents died from firearm injuries in 1998, down 10 percent from 4,223 in 1997 and down 35 percent from the high of 5,833 in 1994. Overall, 30,708 people of all ages died from gunshot injuries in 1998, a 5 percent drop from 1997.

But the government said this is nothing to celebrate.

"Each day, 10 children and teens are killed by firearms, and that is 10 too many," Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala said in a statement.

"However, it is a significant decrease from four years earlier. This indicates that violence prevention efforts are showing results."

President Bill Clinton said Americans still need to work to reduce gun deaths.

"Parents must ensure that guns are stored safely to prevent accidental shootings. Schools and communities must give children positive alternatives to steer them away from guns and violence," Clinton said in a statement.

"Law enforcement must crack down on gun traffickers who supply young people with firearms and armed criminals who commit violence against our children. And the gun industry must responsibly design, distribute and market its products to make sure they do not fall into the wrong hands."

The report, based on death certificates, found that someone aged 15 in 1998 could expect to live to be 77.5, a year longer than someone who turned 15 in 1993. But whites still can expect to live 6 years longer than blacks.

The infant mortality rate remained unchanged in 1998, at 7.2 infant deaths per 1,000 live births. Death rates for African-American infants were twice those of white babies.

Death rates from a variety of diseases all fell in 1998, the report found. The biggest drop was in deaths from the AIDS virus, which fell nearly 21 percent between 1997 and 1998 -- mostly due to cocktails of drugs that do not cure patients but which can ward off death and keep them healthier.

The death rate from atherosclerosis dropped 9.5 percent, and deaths by homicide dropped nearly 9 percent, the report found. Alzheimer's disease mortality fell nearly 4 percent.

However blacks were nearly 6 times as likely to be murdered than whites, the report found.

Deaths from stroke, heart disease, and chronic liver disease dropped by about 3 percent each, suicide mortality fell nearly 2 percent and cancer deaths were reduced by 1.6 percent, the report found.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Officials seek to reduce SIDS deaths among African-Americans
July 19, 2000
Study says U.S. children better off than in past years
July 13, 2000
Russian men dying early; bad habits blamed
May 21, 2000
Brooklyn baby deaths double the national average
April 1, 2000
Who's smoking, drinking and sitting too much?
March 24, 2000

National Center for Health Statistics

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.