The latest study published in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) reveals that the health of America's children has significantly worsened across several key indicators since 2007.
A child in the US was 15% to 20% more likely to develop a chronic condition in 2023 than in 2011. They are increasingly diagnosed with conditions such as depression, anxiety, sleep apnea, and obesity. Rates of autism, behavioral problems, developmental delays, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have also risen.
Issues such as poor sleep, limited physical activity, early-onset menstruation, and loneliness also increased among the study population. Dr. Christopher Forrest notes that children today are present with chronic conditions more frequently than when he began his career 25 years ago. He notes anecdotally that more children are now visiting hospitals and primary care clinics with chronic conditions.
"They just seem to be sicker. And it turns out they are," says Forrest, a professor of pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He adds, "I think the overall message is that children's health in the United States has been declining for almost two decades." He says the researchers consulted eight comprehensive data sets, including nationally representative surveys and millions of electronic pediatric health records.
These disparities in mortality were driven largely by sudden-unexpected infant death and prematurity, whereas in older children and adolescents, the gap was fueled by gun violence, motor-vehicle crashes and substance abuse. The authors also found that in 2020, firearm mortality overtook motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of death in US youth.
Dr. Fredrick Rivara, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington, co-wrote an editorial that accompanied the new study in JAMA. He attributes the disparity to the lack of universal health care in the US, which is available in countries like Canada and the United Kingdom.
Security personnel inspect the site in the aftermath of an attack as food stall chairs lie empty in Pahalgam, about 90 kilometres (55 miles) from Srinagar on April 23, 2025. Indian security forces in Kashmir carried out a major manhunt on April 23, a day after gunmen opened fire on tourists killing 26 people in the region's deadliest attack on civilians since 2000. Getty Images
Tourists visit Betaab Valley in Pahalgam, about 112 km south of Srinagar on June 26, 2025.Getty Images
Pilgrims gather at the Baltal Base Camp near Domel, en route to the sacred Amarnath cave in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India, on July 29, 2025. The annual Amarnath Yatra, which began on July 3, proceeds under heightened security following a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 25 tourists and a local pony handler. Security forces have been deployed in large numbers across the pilgrimage route, with checkpoints, surveillance, and restrictions in place to safeguard the thousands of devotees undertaking the arduous journey. The Amarnath Yatra is one of the most important Hindu pilgrimages, drawing worshippers from across India to the high-altitude Himalayan shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva. Despite the threat of violence and challenging terrain, pilgrims continue their spiritual trek, determined to complete the sacred journey under the shadow of grief and resilience.Getty Images
