BY B.G. GREGG
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Birth-related problems remained the leading killer of Hamilton County children in 1997.
Where they lived
The leading neighborhoods where children died in 1997 (determined by ZIP code):
Camp Washington (8)
Bond Hill - Roselawn (8)
Springdale - Forest Park (8)
Westwood (7)
Hyde Park (6)
Groesbeck (6)
In 1996, Westwood, Groesbeck, Price Hill and Springdale - Forest Park were the neighborhoods with the most child deaths.
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More than 72 percent of the 138 county children who died last year did so from natural causes, according to a report released Thursday by the Hamilton County Fatality Review Team. At least 67 deaths, nearly half of 1997's total, were directly related to birth problems.
Last year's report, the team's first annual review, found that 68 percent of 139 county children who died in 1996 did so from natural causes, again mostly birth-related.
The leading cause of death in 1997 was listed as prematurity, which killed 38 children. More than 43 percent of the children who died in the county last year did so before they reached the age of one month.
Fifteen Hamilton County children died from accidents last year, and another 10 died from from sudden infant death syndrome. The county's review team was established in 1995 by the Hamilton County Family and Children First Council to identify trends in child deaths and make recommendations to prevent them. The team, which consists of representatives from the Cincinnati Health Department, the county Coroner's Office, Cincinnati Fire Division, Children's Hospital Medical Center and other agencies, examines all deaths of Hamilton County residents age 17 and under.
Franklin and Summit counties in Ohio also review child deaths every year.
Hamilton County has long had a relatively high infant-mortality rate, and a high percentage of babies born with low birth-weights. In 1996, the county had 9.9 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared with the U.S. average of 7.2. Experts attribute the disparity in part to Hamilton County's relatively high teen-pregnancy rate and high percentage of low-income mothers.
"There are a lot of very aggressive programs out there to fight this (birth-related problems), but I don't think we have a good handle on the problem yet," said Patricia Eber, executive director of the Hamilton County Family and Children First Council.
Slightly more than 65 percent of the dead children were boys. Slightly more than 66 percent were white.
The leading neighborhoods where children died (determined by ZIP code): Camp Washington (8), Bond Hill - Roselawn (8), Springdale - Forest Park (8), Westwood (7), Hyde Park (6) and Groesbeck (6). In 1996, Westwood, Groesbeck, Price Hill and Springdale - Forest Park were the neighborhoods with the most child deaths.
One troubling trend the review team noticed was an apparent connection between some of the deaths and unsafe homes. This resulted in the review team asking the Cincinnati Health Department, Hamilton County Health District and Hamilton County Mental Health Board to establish criteria on when a home can be deemed hazardous to a child.
The review team said it intensely examined all cases in which the death was not natural, or in which the child had been involved with the Hamilton County Children's Services' Division. In those 50 deaths, the review team found that 36 percent could have been prevented and 10 percent were somewhat preventable.
For example, a 1-year-old Price Hill girl died last May after her head was submerged in a bucket of cleaning water at her home. Had that cleaning water been where she couldn't have reached it, the death might have been prevented.
Based on the types of deaths they examined, the review team recommended more public education about:
Excessive speeding.
The danger of leaving children with irresponsible caretakers or by themselves.
The importance of having proper bedding for infants, placing those infants on their backs to sleep, and of the danger of adults sleeping in the same bed as infants.
The danger of buckets of water, bare electrical wires and blocked exits in a home with children.
The importance of recognizing depression and suicidal tendencies in children.
