Association of Race and Family Socioeconomic Status With Pediatric Postoperative Mortality

Abstract

In this cohort study, increasing SES was associated with lower pediatric postoperative mortality. However, postoperative mortality rates were significantly higher among Black children in the highest SES category compared with White children in the same category, and mortality rates among Black children in the highest SES category were comparable to those of White children in the lowest SES category. These findings suggest that increasing family SES did not provide equitable advantage to Black compared with White children, and interventions that target socioeconomic inequities alone may not fully address persistent racial disparities in pediatric postoperative mortality.