Children’s obesity, depression, and general health deterioration: Research



this The health of our children Having deteriorated over the past 17 years, today’s children are more likely to obesitychronic diseases and mental health problems such as depression, A new study explain.

Most of the findings from researchers are already known, but the study depicts a comprehensive picture by simultaneously examining aspects of children’s physical and mental health.

“The surprising part of this study doesn’t have any single statistics; it’s precisely with 170 metrics that eight data sources show the same thing: a general decline in children’s health,” Christopher Forrest, one of the authors of the study, published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The highly anticipated report on “Make America Healthy Again” This describes children’s malnutrition and overintroduction and raises concerns about their lack of physical exercise. But the Trump administration action – Including cuts Federal health agencies,,,,, Medicaid and Scientific research According to outside experts who reviewed Monday’s research, it is unlikely to reverse the trend.

“U.S. children are not as healthy as other countries, and the current administration’s current policies will certainly make things worse,” said Dr. Frederick Rivara, a researcher at Seattle Children’s Hospital and Seattle UW Medicine. He co-wrote the paper. Editorial with new research.

Forrest and colleagues analyzed surveys from 10 pediatric health systems, electronic health records and international mortality statistics. What they find:

– The obesity rate among American children aged 2-19 increased from 17% in 2007-2008 to about 21% in 2021-2023.

– According to data reported by parents and doctors, American children in 2023 are 15 to 20% more likely to suffer from chronic diseases such as chronic diseases, such as 2011.

– The annual prevalence of 97 chronic diseases recorded by doctors rose from about 40% in 2011 to 46% in 2023.

– During the study period, early episodes of menstruation, sleep difficulties, activity limitations, physical symptoms, depression symptoms, and loneliness in American children.

– Starting from 2007 – 2022, the probability of death of children in the United States is 1.8 times higher than that of children in other high-income countries. Early and sudden accidental deaths in U.S. infants are much higher, and gun-related incidents and car crashes are more common among U.S. children aged 1-19 years old than in the same countries.

Forrest, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia, said the study shows that health problems in the United States are bigger.

“Kids are canaries in the coal mine,” he said. “When children’s health changes, it’s because their vulnerability increases, which reflects what’s going on in society as a whole.”

The timing of the study, he said, was “completely accidental.” Before the 2024 presidential election, Forrest was writing a book about thriving throughout his lifespan, and could not find comprehensive data on children’s health.

The data set analyzed has some limitations and may not apply to Dr. James Perrin, a pediatrician and spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics, who was not involved in the study.

“The basic discovery is true,” he said.

The editorial published with the research was in the government’s Maha campaign to raise welcome for chronic diseases, “It is adopting other policies that will violate the interests of children.” These include eliminating injury prevention and Maternal Health Plancancel investment in campaigns for sudden deaths in babies and “help for parents’ vaccine hesitation, which could lead to The revival of deadly vaccines prevent disease,” the author wrote.

Officials from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to requests for comment.

Forrest said the risks highlighted by the Maha report, such as eating too much superprocessed food, are real but missed the complex reality-driven trends in children’s health.

“We have to take a step back and learn some lessons from the ecological sustainability community and say: Let’s look at the ecosystems children are growing up. Let’s rely on it from New York City-by-city neighborhoods, study it, and review it.”

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The Associated Press Department of Health and Science has received support from the Howard Hughes Medical School’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. AP is responsible for all content.



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