The childhood death rate refers to the number of deaths per 100,000 children ages 1 to 14 years, from all causes. From 1985 to 1996, the Kansas childhood death rate declined from 39 to 31, which reflects a 21 percent improvement in the state's rate. In 1998, Kansas suffered 150 childhood deaths. When compared to the previous 5-year period, there was a slight increase in the state's childhood death rate. While some of the larger counties such as Johnson, Wyandotte, and Riley experienced an increase in childhood death rate this past year, Sedgwick, Douglas, and Leavenworth celebrated a decline.
Caution is warranted when looking at the childhood death rates for less populated counties.
Significant changes in the death rate do not necessarily reflect dramatic changes in the actual number of childhood deaths. For example, for Ellsworth and Washington counties, the tragic death of 1 child in 1998 caused a 425 percent increase in their childhood death rate, when compared to the county's rate for the previous base years period. Even though the unintentional death rate among children 14 years of age and younger has declined 30 percent from 1987 to 1996 in the United States, unintentional injuries continue to be the leading cause of death among this age group. Among 1 to 4 year olds, the leading cause of unintentional injury-related is drowning, with motor vehicle occupant injury the second major cause. Among children ages 5-14, motor vehicle occupant injury is the leading cause of unintentional deaths, followed by pedestrian injury.