Racial health gap noted among children

DALLAS, March 30 (UPI) -- There is a major health gap between U.S. minority children and Caucasian children, a review of studies found.

Study author Glenn Flores, a professor of pediatrics at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, examined racial/ethnic disparities in pediatric care, in studies conducted during a period of more than 50 years.

Flores said the 31.4 million minority children in the United States face higher overall death rates than Caucasians, and some groups face greater violence, higher incidence of HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, asthma, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and some types of cancers.

Other common disparities for minority children included higher rates of obesity and lower rates of breastfeeding, immunizations, and proper nutrition, Flores said.

"To see those disparities is very disconcerting," Flores said in a statement. "We need to figure out why there are such stark differences when there really shouldn't be in a country that prides itself on equity and justice."