Child abuse was the primary factor in the hospitalization of 4,569 American children in 2006, a new study shows. According to Good Morning America, 300 kids went on to die from their injuries.
“There are far too many children, especially very young children, who suffer serious injuries from child abuse and are hospitalized for the care of these injuries,” said study author John Leventhal of the Yale School of Medicine.
Perhaps most disheartening, Leventhal and his team found that the hospitalization rate for domestic abuse was highest for children under a year old. About 58 per 100,000 babies were admitted to the hospital for injuries related to abuse, researchers said.
Children admitted to the hospital for abuse were also more likely to die than children who were hospitalized for other, non-abusive injuries or illnesses. Children who were abused were more likely to stay in the hospital twice as long, and up to six times more likely to die from their injuries.
Not only are the circumstances heartbreaking, they are costly too. The average hospital stay for abuse-related injuries is $16,058, compared to just $9,550 for children with non-abusive injuries and $7,964 for any other illness. That’s a total of $73.8 million spent every year on abuse-related hospitalizations.
