Trends in US Children’s Mortality, Chronic Conditions, Obesity, Functional Status, and Symptoms

Recent scientific and policy statements suggest that child health may be worsening in the US.

To determine how US children's health has been changing from 2007 to 2023 using multiple data collection methods and a comprehensive set of health indicators. Design, Setting, and Participants: Repeated, cross-sectional analyses using mortality statistics from the US and 18 comparator high-income nations from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD18), 5 nationally representative surveys, and electronic health records from 10 pediatric health systems (PEDSnet). The populations included individuals younger than 20 years old. Unweighted denominator sample size ranges were 1623 to 95 677 across the surveys, 1 026 926 to 2 114 638 for PEDSnet, 81.9 million to 83.2 million in the US, and 118.4 million to 121.1 million in the OECD18 for mortality statistics. Exposure: Calendar time. Main Outcomes and Measures: Rate ratios (RRs) and annual incidence for mortality and prevalence for chronic physical, developmental, and mental health conditions, functional status, and symptoms.