Thaindian News

London, March 30 (ANI): A new study has claimed that premature deaths are now more likely to occur in adolescence and early adulthood than in childhood.

To reach that conclusion, the study looked at data from 50 countries - rich, middle-income and poor - over 50 years, reports the BBC.

It found that while mortality had fallen overall, rates were now relatively higher in teenagers and young adults, than in young children.

Violence, suicide and road accidents are being blamed.

Mortality in children aged one to nine has fallen by between 80 percent and 93 percent, thanks largely to fewer deaths from infectious disease.

However, death rates have not been dropping as fast among teenagers and young adults.

In young men aged 15-24, mortality has dropped between 41 percent and 48 percent, again largely because of success in combating disease.

But ‘injury’, be it violence, suicide or road accidents, has emerged as the biggest killer of young men in all regions, and the biggest killer of young women in rich and eastern European countries.

Young men aged 15-24 are now two to three times more likely to die prematurely than young boys aged one to four, the researchers claimed.

“Modern life is much more toxic for teenagers and young people,” said Russell Viner of University College London, who led the study.

“We’ve had rises in road traffic accidents, rises in violence, rises in suicide which we don’t see in young children.

“The teenage years were the healthiest time of our life. It’s no longer true,” he said.

The study was published in The Lancet. (ANI)