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Maternal and Child Health Journal

Published in:

01-10-2019

Family Socioeconomic Status and Early Life Mortality Risk in the United States

Authors: David B. Braudt, Elizabeth M. Lawrence, Andrea M. Tilstra, Richard G. Rogers, Robert A. Hummer

Published in: Maternal and Child Health Journal | Issue 10/2019

Abstract

Objectives

We examine the association between several dimensions of parental socioeconomic status (SES) and all-cause and cause-specific mortality among children and youth (ages 1–24) in the United States.

Methods

We use Cox proportional hazard models to estimate all-cause and cause-specific mortality risk based on data from the 1998 to 2015 National Health Interview Survey-Linked Mortality Files (NHIS-LMFs), restricted to children and youth ages 1–17 at the time of survey followed through age 24, or the end of the follow-up period in 2015 (N = 377,252).

Results

Children and youth in families with lower levels of mother’s education, father’s education, and/or family income-to-needs ratio exhibit significantly higher all-cause mortality risk compared with children and youth living in higher SES families. For example, compared to children and youth living with mothers who earned college degrees, those living with mothers who have not graduated high school experience 40% higher risk of early life mortality over the follow-up period, due in part to higher mortality risks of unintentional injuries and homicides. Similarly, children/youth whose fathers did not graduate high school experience a 41% higher risk of dying before age 25 compared to those with fathers who completed college.

Conclusions

Today’s children and youth experience clear disparities in mortality risk across several dimensions of parental SES. As the U.S. continues to lag behind other high-income countries in health and mortality, more attention and resources should be devoted to improving children’s health and well-being, including the family and household contexts in which American children live.

We report p-values for estimated coefficients in the body of the text; however, due to the problematic history of interpreting p-values and by extension statistical significance (Wasserstein et al. 2019), for full transparency we report the corresponding 95% confidence intervals for all parameter estimates in the respective tables.

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Title: Family Socioeconomic Status and Early Life Mortality Risk in the United States
Authors: David B. Braudt
Elizabeth M. Lawrence
Andrea M. Tilstra
Richard G. Rogers
Robert A. Hummer
Publication date: 01-10-2019
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Maternal and Child Health Journal / Issue 10/2019
Print ISSN: 1092-7875
Electronic ISSN: 1573-6628
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-019-02799-0

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Family Socioeconomic Status and Early Life Mortality Risk in the United States

Abstract

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusions

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusions

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