What age group constitutes "children" in relation to vital statistics?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

Poll question: What age group constitutes "children" in relation to vital statistics?

We often here numbers thrown around about how many children are killed in motor vehicle accidents or how many children are getting vaccines etc. What do you think the age range should be to be defined as a child?

[depakid]

1. Motor vehicles and vaccination are entirely different groupings

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

4. Shouldn't we have one standard?

[depakid]

6. Not for two wholly disparite groupings

among other things, it puts too much noise in the beta.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

7. How are children being vaccinated different from children injured in MVCs?

[depakid]

8. Think about it.

what are you typically trying to study?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

9. Accidental deaths, vaccine injuries, etc. Generally public health issues.

[depakid]

10. Then you want your age ranges to reflect the most common risks ifor those groups

Of course there'll be exceptions-

Car seat data in that age range would substantially overlaps would overlap childhood immunization schedules, etc.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

11. You may not be understanding me.

Things are reported like 20,000 children are killed in MVCs every year. It would be nice to know what age group they were referring too. If 17,000 of those children are between the ages of 18-21, then the threat to our "children"s" health may be overstated. I can find the specific number for specific age groups at the CDC, FBI, etc. It is more about the way things are reported. I was just curious about the different opinions here as to what posters define as a child.

David

[sandnsea]

2. Gosh, it wasn't long ago it was 21

How quickly they forget.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

5. I've always found it odd.

The American Heart Association used to define it as 1 to 8 years old. Your kid can see his pediatrician till the age of 21. Clearly a person at the age 21 without any mental defect is not a child legally. Thanks for your opinion.

David

[blogslut]

3. The age of majority

n.t

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

12. So birth to 18, 19 or 21 depending on where you live.

[Statistical]

13. Well Brady campaign considers 0-25 including convicted felons as "children"

to boost the # of "kids" killed each year stat.

25 year old w/ multiple felony convictions and hard time in the pen is not what I consider a child.

I voted 0-18. Technically it would be 0 to <18. Date you turn 18 = adult (at least legally & for stats).

[kiva]

14. It's frustrating when you're trying to research an issue and

there's no good breakout by age. I've seen several studies regarding teen sexuality and pregnancy that include ages 13 to 19; technically they are all teenagers, but there's a world of difference between a pregnant 13-year-old and an 19-year-old who is physically mature, perhaps in college, who is pregnant.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

16. Precisely.

Some have suggested 21 year olds are children. While they are someone's child they do not belong in vital statistics classified as children.

David

[TahitiNut]

15. I tend to subscribe to the "sevens" ... ages 7, 14, and 21 being the 'passages.'

The age of 7 is the age of 'reason' ... responsible for choices, telling the truth, learning. The age of 14 is the point at which adult "training wheels" are attached ... along with pubic hair. The age of 21 is the age of majority ... political enfranchisement. Two "sevens" later, 35, is the age one is eligible for the Presidency. Thus, loosely speaking, a statistical "child" would be anyone between the ages of 0 and 14 ... with children under 7 being required to have a car seat. YMMV.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

17. Interesting numbers.

I definitely don't think of people over 16 as children. Probably just from my medical background.

David