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Child mortality has risen since pandemic, new study shows

Two young children walking along a path

Gregor Ritter from Pixabay

Press release issued: 23 January 2025

While child deaths in England fell temporarily during the COVID-19 pandemic, they have now risen to new heights, a new study from researchers at the University of Bristol and based on unique National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) data has found.

The study, published in PLOS Medicine today [23 January], has shown that children were less likely to die during the pandemic lockdown (April 2020–March 2021) than at any time before or since, with 377 fewer deaths than expected from the previous year.  

The number of deaths in the following year (2021-2022) was similar to before the pandemic, but in 2022−2023, there were 258 more deaths than expected from the pre-pandemic period. 

The aim of the research was to quantify the relative rate, and causes, of childhood deaths in England, before, during, and after national lockdowns for COVID-19 and its social changes.

The researchers identified all those children in England who died between April 2019 and March 2023 and calculated what the rate of death was for each year, for each group of children (e.g., infants or older children) and cause of death.

Using a mathematical model the research team then tested if the rate of death was going up or down across the 4 years, and if the trend seen was different for the first two years (before and during the national lockdowns) compared to the second two (after the national lockdowns).

Previous research from the same group showed a reduction in deaths during the pandemic across most age groups, regions and areas of England, and in both boys and girls. But this new work confirms that this reduction was temporary, and deaths were higher in the years after the lockdown period. One category, deaths from birth events, showed a clear increase going into, and during the lockdowns, but then a reduction back to pre-pandemic levels afterwards.

These changes may have also increased existing healthcare inequalities, with the relative rate of dying for children from non-white backgrounds, compared to white children, now higher than before or during the pandemic.

Karen Luyt, Programme Director for the National Child Mortality Database, Professor of Neonatal Medicine at the University of Bristol and Healthier Childhoods lead at NIHR ARC West, said: “These stark findings demonstrate that, for most children and most causes of death, the reduction in mortality that was seen during the pandemic was only temporary.

“The NCMD's unique data also tells us that existing inequalities have widened, with outcomes deteriorating for children from poor and non-white backgrounds compared with their peers. But it also shows that change is possible; more must be done to change these trends in the long term, and improve and save children's lives.”

The work was supported by the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) Programme and the National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration West (NIHR ARC West).

The research team would like to recognise all Child Death Overview Panels (CDOPs) who submitted data for the purposes of this report and all child death review professionals for submitting data and providing additional information when requested. In particular, the research team would like to thank parent and public involvement, who are at the heart of the NCMD programme.

Paper 

Child mortality in England after national lockdowns for COVID-19: An analysis of childhood deaths, 2019–2023’ by David Odd, Sylvia Stoianova, Tom Williams, Peter Fleming and Karen Luyt in PLOS Medicine [open access]

Further information

About the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) 
The National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) was established on 1 April 2018 with the aim of reducing premature mortality by collecting and analysing data on all deaths in children in England, aged between birth and their 18th birthday. The Programme is commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) and is funded by NHS England, it is led by the University of Bristol, in collaboration with Anna Freud,  UCL Partners and the software company QES

About the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)
The mission of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. We do this by:

  • Funding high quality, timely research that benefits the NHS, public health and social care;
  • Investing in world-class expertise, facilities and a skilled delivery workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and services;
  • Partnering with patients, service users, carers and communities, improving the relevance, quality and impact of our research;
  • Attracting, training and supporting the best researchers to tackle complex health and social care challenges;
  • Collaborating with other public funders, charities and industry to help shape a cohesive and globally competitive research system;
  • Funding applied global health research and training to meet the needs of the poorest people in low and middle income countries.

NIHR is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. Its work in low and middle income countries is principally funded through UK Aid from the UK government.

The NIHR is the research partner of the NHS, public health and social care.

 About the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration West (NIHR ARC West)
The NIHR Applied Research Collaboration West (ARC West) conducts applied health research with its partners and others in the health and care sector, alongside patients and members of the public. Applied health research aims to address the immediate issues facing the health and social care system. ARC West also helps bring research evidence into practice and provides training for the local workforce.

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