Introduction

Child health sets the foundation of the overall health and prosperity of the nation. Healthy children are more likely to become healthy adults who lead meaningful and productive lives.¹ Recent scientific and policy statements have raised concerns that child health in the US may be declining. A 2024 report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine stated that “the United States faces a major crisis with the poor and worsening health and wellbeing of children and youth.”² The Presidential Commission to Make America Healthy Again issued a May 2025 report that called out the need to better understand the root causes of the declining health of US children.^3 [JAMA]

^{Objective  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.}

^Conclusion 

^{Conclusions and Relevance  The health of US children has worsened across a wide range of health indicator domains over the past 17 years. The broad scope of this deterioration highlights the need to identify and address the root causes of this fundamental decline in the nation’s health.}

^{Full article on the study here>} 

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