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yesterday

JAMA Study Reveals U.S. Child Health Decline Over Two Decades

Experts say a coordinated, holistic response is required to reshape children’s developmental environment

FILE - Children run on the lawn at the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Mo., on April 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
Girl works at a computer and eats fast food.
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Overview

  • From 2007 to 2022, U.S. children ages 1 to 19 faced a mortality rate 1.8 times higher than peers in other high-income countries, with firearm deaths 15 times more likely and motor vehicle fatalities more than twice as prevalent.
  • The prevalence of at least one chronic health condition among children aged 3–17 climbed from around 40 percent in 2011 to 45.7 percent in 2023.
  • Obesity rates among 2-to-19-year-olds increased from 17 percent in 2007–08 to about 21 percent in 2021–23.
  • Rates of depressive symptoms, loneliness, sleep disturbances and activity limitations have worsened over the study period, signaling a decline in functional and emotional well-being.
  • Researchers and child health experts are urging environmental, social and policy reforms to overhaul the developmental ecosystem in which U.S. children grow and learn.