U.S. ‘Lags Behind’ Other Nations in Care of Children, Congressional Report Says : Health: The study finds high child poverty rates. It says young males in this country are more than five times as likely to be murder victims.

American children frequently are more at risk on a wide variety of social, economic and health problems than their counterparts in other major industrialized countries, according to a congressional report made public Sunday.

The study, conducted by the Census Bureau for the House Committee on Children, Youth and Families, said America “lags behind” its major competitors in the health and well-being of its children, even though it has the knowledge and ability to ensure them better lives.

The detailed document was designed to set the stage for a hearing on international children’s health issues that the panel has slated for Tuesday. It compared the well-being of U.S. children with those in Europe, Japan, Canada, the Soviet Union, Australia and New Zealand.

The report did not attempt to explain the causes for the disparity between the United States and the other countries. “It raises more questions than it answers,” Rep. George Miller (D-Martinez), the panel’s chairman, conceded.

Nevertheless, Miller said the document “provides for the first time a common frame of reference for discussing policies and practices that might lead to better outcomes for children.”

“The time has come to thoughtfully consider the practices of our neighbors, who in many important areas show better health and economic outcomes for their children and families, despite their smaller gross national product,” he said.

The study estimated there now are 2.8 billion children and youths around the world--about 52% of the global population. Asian youths account for 61% of the total; Africa and Latin America, 25%; and Europe, North America and the Soviet Union, 14%.

Among the major findings:

--The United States and Australia have the highest child poverty rates in the group--17% for each--and both countries had the highest poverty rates among families with children--15% in the United States and 14% in Australia.

--The United States has the highest percentage of children affected by divorce and a higher teen-age pregnancy rate.

--Infant mortality rates varied from five deaths per 1,000 live births in Japan to 25 deaths per 1,000 live births in the Soviet Union. The United States has an infant mortality rate of 10, the document said.

--More than three-fourths of all youth deaths in the United States, Canada and Sweden were due to accidents, suicide, homicide or other violence. The United States had the highest proportion, 78%.

--Male youth in the United States are more than five times as likely to be murdered than those in other developed countries, while Mexico’s male youth are murdered at a rate nearly double that of the United States, the study said.

--Suicide rates among young people ages 15 to 24 “vary greatly” across countries studied, the report said. Suicide accounts for one out of four youth deaths in Sweden and one out of eight in the United States.

Discussing the overall report, Miller said the figures suggested that “the U.S. is very good at saving very ill babies that would have died at birth in less developed countries,” but does “a terrible job of preventing infants from getting sick in the first place.”

The document also showed wide disparities between the United States and its competitors on the proportion of poor families receiving government assistance. The percentage in the United States was 73%, compared to 99% for the study as a whole.

In the area of youth employment, the United States and the other developed countries have comparable percentages of their youth employed, but the United States also has the highest percentage, 70%, employed in the service sector, where wages often are lower.