The health of U.S. children has deteriorated markedly over the past 17 years, according to a study published 7 July in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of California, Los Angeles reviewed eight national data sets encompassing 170 health indicators from 2007 to 2023 and found declines in almost every domain of physical and mental wellbeing. Obesity among 2- to 19-year-olds climbed to about 21 percent in 2021-23 from 17 percent in 2007-08, while diagnoses of at least one chronic condition rose to 46 percent of patients in 2023 from roughly 40 percent in 2011. U.S. children were also 1.8 times more likely to die than counterparts in 18 other high-income countries between 2007 and 2022; prematurity and sudden unexpected infant death dominated infant mortality, and firearms and motor-vehicle crashes led deaths among those aged 1-19. Reports of early puberty, sleep problems, depressive symptoms, loneliness and activity limitations all increased, with asthma the sole indicator to improve. Lead author Dr. Christopher Forrest said the findings show children acting as “canaries in the coal mine” for wider societal stresses and warned that reversing the trend will demand measures extending beyond healthcare, including safer neighbourhoods and healthier food environments. An accompanying editorial urged stronger injury-prevention, maternal health and vaccination programmes, cautioning that recent federal budget cuts risk intensifying the slide in children’s health.