American Children’s Health Declines, New Study Finds

Philadelphia, August 3, 2025 — A comprehensive study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has revealed a significant decline in the health of American children and adolescents over the past 17 years, highlighting rising rates of mortality, chronic illnesses, obesity, and mental health challenges. The research, led by Dr. Christopher Forrest of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Dr. Neal Halfon of UCLA, underscores a growing crisis that has left U.S. children nearly twice as likely to die as their peers in other high-income countries.

A Broad Decline Across Health Indicators

The study, titled “Trends in US Children’s Mortality, Chronic Conditions, Obesity, Functional Status, and Symptoms,” analyzed 172 health indicators using data from five national surveys, U.S. and international mortality databases, and PEDSnet, a network of 10 pediatric health systems with over 2 million deidentified health records. Covering the period from 2007 to 2023, the findings paint a grim picture of deteriorating child health across physical, mental, and developmental domains.

Key findings include:

• Increased Mortality Rates: From 2007 to 2022, U.S. children ages 1 to 19 were 1.8 times more likely to die than their peers in 18 other high-income countries, resulting in approximately 315,795 excess deaths. Leading causes included firearm injuries, motor vehicle crashes, and infant deaths due to prematurity and sudden unexpected infant death (SUID).
• Rising Chronic Conditions: The prevalence of chronic conditions among children ages 3 to 17 increased from 39.9% in 2011 to 45.7% in 2023. Conditions such as anxiety, depression, sleep apnea, autism, behavioral problems, developmental delays, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) saw significant upticks.
• Obesity Epidemic: Childhood obesity rates for ages 2 to 19 rose from 17% in 2007–2008 to 20.9% in 2021–2023, increasing risks for future health issues like heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.
• Mental Health Crisis: Rates of depression, anxiety, and loneliness have surged, with nearly one in 10 children now facing activity limitations due to health conditions, compared to one in 50 in the 1960s.
• Other Trends: The study noted increases in early onset of menstruation (from 9.1% to 14.8%), sleep disturbances, and physical and emotional symptoms, with asthma being the only chronic condition showing a decline.

“This study confirms what many pediatricians, educators, and parents have been sensing for years: our children are facing a growing health crisis,” said Dr. Halfon, distinguished professor of pediatrics and director of the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families & Communities. “The breadth and consistency of these declines across physical, mental, and developmental health indicators demand urgent national attention.”

Systemic Factors and Policy Challenges

The researchers emphasized that the decline in children’s health reflects broader societal issues, with Dr. Forrest describing children as “canaries in the coal mine” whose vulnerabilities mirror systemic problems. “When kids’ health changes, it’s because they’re at increased vulnerability, and it reflects what’s happening in society at large,” he told The Associated Press.

The study does not pinpoint a single cause but suggests that social, economic, and environmental factors—such as poverty, limited healthcare access, and exposure to stressors like gun violence—are significant contributors. Unlike other high-income countries with universal healthcare, the U.S. lacks comprehensive coverage, a gap exacerbated by recent Medicaid cuts signed into law by President Trump, according to Dr. Frederick Rivara, a pediatrician at Seattle Children’s Hospital who co-authored an editorial accompanying the study.

The editorial also criticized the Trump administration’s policies, including the elimination of injury prevention and maternal health programs and the promotion of vaccine hesitancy, which could lead to a resurgence of preventable diseases. “The health of kids in America is not as good as it should be, not as good as other countries, and the current policies of this administration are definitely going to make it worse,” Rivara said.

National Policy and the MAHA Report

The study’s release coincides with heightened national focus on children’s health, driven by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) report, unveiled in May 2025. The report attributes declining child health to factors like ultra-processed foods, environmental toxins, and overmedication, calling for reduced physical inactivity. However, Forrest cautioned that the MAHA report oversimplifies the issue, missing the “complex reality” of systemic drivers.

Critics, including Dr. James Perrin of the American Academy of Pediatrics, noted limitations in the study’s datasets, which may not fully represent the U.S. population. Nonetheless, Perrin and others agree that the findings highlight a critical need for policy reform. “Until transformative, high-level changes are made to social and health policies affecting family well-being, the decline in children’s health won’t change,” said Dr. Leslie Sude of Yale School of Medicine.

Calls for Action

The study’s authors urged a coordinated, cross-sector response to rebuild the “developmental ecosystem” for children, focusing on identifying root causes and informing policy changes. Proposed solutions include:

• Enhanced Healthcare Access: Expanding pediatric mental health services and reducing waitlists, as suggested by Dr. Yann Poncin of Yale, who highlighted the benefits of crisis support and school-based interventions.
• Policy Advocacy: Health systems should advocate for robust investments in family well-being, including co-locating services like behavioral health and nutrition support within primary care settings.
• Community-Level Interventions: Forrest called for examining the child health ecosystem on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis, drawing lessons from ecological sustainability models.
• Addressing Social Determinants: Tackling poverty, gun violence, and childcare disruptions, which disproportionately affect marginalized groups, including Black, Hispanic, Native American, and LGBTQ+ children.

A Wake-Up Call

The study’s findings have sparked widespread alarm, with experts like Forrest describing it as a “huge wake-up call” that the U.S. is “failing kids right now.” The data suggest that without significant intervention, the health of American children may continue to lag behind their peers in other developed nations. As policymakers, healthcare providers, and communities grapple with these challenges, the study underscores the urgency of addressing systemic inequities to ensure a healthier future for the nation’s youth.

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