The Correlation Between Availability of Pediatricians and Child Mortality within the United States

Abstract

As the profession of pediatrics becomes more popular, the decision of whether a pediatrician is necessary becomes increasingly prevalent. Understanding whether the availability of pediatricians is correlated to child mortality rates in the United States is essential to provide statistical evidence on the efficacy of current pediatric practices. This study aims to find a strong negative correlation between the availability of pediatricians and the mortality rates of children 18 and under in the United States. Data on U.S. child mortality rates from the CDC’s WONDER database and data on pediatricians from the American Board of Pediatrics were collected to perform 4 separate correlational tests on Microsoft Excel. The first test examined the correlation between the ratio of pediatricians in each state with state-by-state child mortality rates in 2018. The second test examined the number of certified pediatricians from 2000-2018 in the entire U.S. population with the child mortality rate in the same time period. The third and fourth tests examined the correlation between the number of certified pediatricians in 2000-2018 in the entire U.S. population with the child mortality rate due to cardiac-related and endocrine-metabolic diseases, respectively. Each test showed a moderate negative correlation demonstrating an implied relationship in which a higher number of pediatricians relates to lower child mortality rates. These results can be used to further public knowledge on the effects and potential benefits that pediatricians have on childhood health and development, helping parents make more informed decisions regarding their child's pediatric care options.