Children in the US are significantly more likely to suffer from a chronic disease than those in other rich countries, a shocking report has revealed. 

Researchers in Pennsylvania and California analyzed online health data for children who were ages zero to 19 in the US in 2023 and compared it those the same age in past years.

They found in 2023, children in the US were up to 20 percent more likely to develop a chronic condition like anxiety, diabetes and autism than kids in 2011. 

Depression saw the greatest increase, with children and teens in 2023 approximately three times more likely to develop the mental health condition in 2011. 

Children and teens were also 2.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with autism, which has surged in the US due to what experts suspect is increased awareness and environmental toxins.

The report also found kids and teens are nearly twice as likely to die earlier than their peers in other wealthy nations, particularly with a 15-fold increased risk of dying to gun violence. 

Infant mortality also increased. The report found babies born in the US were almost twice as likely to die by their first birthday compared to those in other rich nations. 

The report comes months after health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr laid bare the stark health issues facing young Americans including obesity, depression and autoimmune diseases and vowed to tackle them during his tenure. 

A new report found children in the US are 20 percent more likely to be diagnosed with a chronic condition than those born in previous years (stock image)

The above is a graph showing the infant mortality rate in the US (top line) compared to other similar countries (bottom line)

Experts believe chronic illnesses in children are on the rise due to increased prevalence of chemicals and toxins, poor diet and better awareness and diagnostic processes. The study researchers, however, did not give specific reasons.

They wrote: ‘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.’

Published this week in the journal JAMA, the study analyzed health survey data from US databases and those encompassing 18 other wealthy nations. 

The team found the average American child is between 15 and 20 percent more likely to be diagnosed with a chronic condition compared to a child in 2011.

A total of 22 conditions were found to increase by at least 10 percent between 2010 and 2023, with depression showing the biggest rise. 

Children in 2023 were found to be 3.3 times more likely than their peers in 2010 to be diagnosed with major depression and 3.2 times more likely to develop sleep apnea or an eating disorder

Researchers in other recent studies have tied growing rates of depression in young people to social media use, global events like the Covid pandemic and exposure to violence, such as school shootings.

In fact, the JAMA report found US children are 15 times more likely to die to gun violence than their peers in other countries.

The above graph shows an increase over time of more than 100 chronic conditions in children. PEDSnet is a pediatric health database from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and NSCH represents the National Survey of Children’s Health, a federal database

The above graph shows increases in rates of conditions like anxiety, autism, depression and diabetes in children

In 2023, children were 2.3 times more likely than those in 2010 to suffer from sleep apnea, which may be tied to growing obesity rates as increased fat deposits in the neck and abdomen narrow the airway and reduce lung capacity. 

The risk of autism has also increased 2.6-fold since 2010. It falls in line with the latest data that shows one in 31 children in the US are thought to have autism, a staggering increase from about one in 150 in the early 2000s.

RFK Jr has suggested environmental toxins like pesticides and food additives may be to blame, but other researchers suggest the rise is from better diagnostic criteria.  

Meanwhile, infants were found to be 1.8 times more likely to die before age one in 2022 compared to 2007. And over 16 years, the US also experienced the equivalent of 54 excess child deaths per day compared to peer nations. 

This is likely due to a 2.2-fold increased risk of being born premature and 2.4-fold increased risk of suffering sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the unexplained death of an infant under one year. 

Preterm birth rates have been tied to an increase in older mothers and conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure.

There were several limitations to the new report, including a lack of data on the causes of the chronic disease increases.