Persistent Poverty Increases Risk, Speed of Cancer Death in Children: Study

A study examining the impact of persistent poverty on childhood cancer diagnoses found that children living in persistently impoverished areas are at a higher chance of death within 3 months of a cancer diagnosis. Persistent poverty – defined as when at least 20% of a community has lived below the federal poverty line for the past 30 years - can impact a child’s ability to manage illnesses. This includes cancer, one of the top three leading causes of death for children in the United States. A study, “Persistent Poverty and Pediatric Cancer Survival,” published in the May 2025 Pediatrics (published online April 21), found an increased risk of death due to cancer in children living in persistent poverty. The study examined pediatric cancer diagnoses from 2006 until 2020 and found that children living in persistent poverty neighborhoods fared worse than their peers who did not live in persistent poverty neighborhoods or lived in neighborhoods that. Authors state this could be fueled by factors that stem from poverty, such as lack of access to care or transportation to receive care. Data showed that both Hispanic and Black children were more likely to be diagnosed in persistently impoverished areas, combining all the struggles of poverty with those of race. Authors suggest that physicians who understand the impact of persistent-poverty neighborhoods on pediatric cancer outcomes can help them address their patients’ needs and identify opportunities for interventions. With poverty intensifying across the country (particularly in suburban areas further from care), authors stressed the need for continued study into the social drivers of health. 

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.