Study Reveals: American Kids Getting Unhealthier Over Last 20 Years

2026-01-07 18:47:57

A new study has found that the overall health of children in the United States has declined over the past 17 years. The reasons? Rising obesity rates to increased mental health issues like depression and anxiety, American kids today are grappling with a broader range of health concerns than ever before.

How Was The Study Conducted?

The research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on Monday, was led by Dr. Christopher Forrest of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The study is one of the most comprehensive examinations of children’s health in the U.S. to date. Using data from eight different sources—including national surveys, electronic health records from 10 pediatric systems, and international mortality statistics—the researchers analyzed 170 indicators of child health.

The findings offer a sobering overview, painting a clear picture of a consistent decline in physical and mental well-being among American children from 2007 to 2023.

What Did The Study Find?

Here are some of the most concerning findings from the study:

Obesity on the Rise:

The percentage of children aged 2 to 19 who are obese jumped from 17% in 2007-08 to about 21% by 2021-23.

More Chronic Illnesses:

Kids in 2023 were 15% to 20% more likely than kids in 2011 to be diagnosed with chronic conditions like anxiety, depression, or sleep apnea.

General Health Decline:

The number of children affected by at least one of 97 chronic conditions increased from 40% to 46% over the study period.

Mental Health Red Flags:

Reports of depressive symptoms, early puberty, loneliness, and trouble sleeping all saw significant increases.

Higher Death Risk:

American kids were about 1.8 times more likely to die than their peers in other high-income nations. Infants born prematurely or those who experienced sudden unexpected deaths were more common in the U.S., and older kids faced a greater risk of dying due to firearms and car crashes.

The Study Results Are A Health Warning

“This isn’t just about one health issue—it’s about all of them moving in the wrong direction,” said Dr. Forrest. “The real surprise wasn’t in any single data point, but in how universally the data shows kids’ health getting worse.”

The researchers believe these troubling trends are a reflection of larger problems within American society—ranging from poor nutrition and lack of exercise to increased screen time and systemic barriers to healthcare.

“Children are the canaries in the coal mine,” Forrest explained. “When their health changes, it signals deeper societal issues.”

National Policy in Question

Earlier this year, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. released the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) report, warning that children in the U.S. are “undernourished and overmedicated.” While this report has brought much-needed attention to the topic, experts say that current government policies might be doing more harm than good.

Dr. Frederick Rivara, a pediatrician and researcher at Seattle Children’s Hospital, co-authored an editorial published alongside the study. “The health of kids in America is not as good as it should be and definitely not on par with other countries,” he said. “And the current policies of this administration are likely to make it worse.”

According to the editorial, the MAHA campaign’s focus on chronic illness is undercut by policies that eliminate injury prevention programs, cut maternal health services, reduce funding for infant death prevention, and promote vaccine hesitancy.

A Call for Community-Led Change

Forrest believes that addressing the problem will require more than national policies—it needs a ground-up approach. “We need to examine the environment children are growing up in, starting at the neighborhood level,” he said. “Let’s think of children’s health the way we think of ecological sustainability. If the ecosystem is unhealthy, so are the kids.”

Though the study does have limitations and may not fully represent every demographic across the U.S., experts like Dr. James Perrin of the American Academy of Pediatrics agree: “The basic finding is true,” he said. “Children’s health in America is getting worse—and we need to act.”