U.S. Children's Health Is Rapidly Declining

TOP OF MIND

Sugar, we’re goin down
A comprehensive 17-year study has found that the health of children in the United States has deteriorated significantly across nearly every major health indicator.

Kids today are more likely to have obesity, chronic diseases and mental health problems like depression.

Dr. Christopher Forrest, one of the authors of the study, said the surprising part of this study wasn't with any single statistic, but rather that “170 indicators, eight data sources, all [showed] the same thing: a generalized decline in kids’ health."

The important bits
Let's look at some of the statistics from the study.

• Obesity in U.S. kids (ages 2–19) rose from 17% in 2007–08 to 21% in 2021–23.

• Chronic conditions like anxiety, depression, and sleep apnea are 15–20% more common now than in 2011.

• Diagnosed chronic conditions jumped from 40% in 2011 to 46% in 2023.

• More kids are experiencing early puberty, poor sleep, limited activity, and loneliness.

• U.S. children were 1.8x more likely to die than peers in other wealthy countries (2007–2022).

Yikes.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made improving children’s health a key issue. In May, he unveiled his ambitious Make America Healthy Again report, which highlighted that today’s kids are undernourished and overmedicated. However, outside experts have pointed out that actions taken by the current administration—such as cuts to Medicaid and scientific research—could actually make the problem worse.

What's it all mean?
No one is going to care for your children more than you do. We can complain about sugary cereal brands marketing to our kids and iPads at the dinner table, but it's up to us to control it in our respective households. This study shouldn't scare you. It should motivate you!

DID YOU HEAR

🩸 Stay away from my blood!
Ticks are out of control this year. July has already seen the highest number of tick-related ER visits since 2017, and we're only halfway through the month. Sadly, young children appear to be the most vulnerable. The ticky situation is especially bad in the New York tristate area, where the Fordham Tick Index currently rates the bite risk as "very high" – 9 out of 10 on its scale. Here's how you can protect your family this summer.

🥤 Blame it on the a-a-a-aspartame
Worried about your kid going through early puberty? Keep them away from sweeteners! Researchers have found that consuming aspartame, sucralose, glycyrrhizin and added sugars significantly increased the risk of early puberty. Some sweeteners, like AceK and glycyrrhizin, can influence puberty by affecting hormones, brain pathways, and gut bacteria. More here.

🥜 This is how you prevent food allergies
New research shows that introducing eggs and peanut butter to babies around six months old can greatly lower their risk of developing allergies to those foods. In a study comparing two groups, the one that followed this early introduction saw egg allergy drop from 12% to 3%, and peanut allergy from 6% to 1%. These results support updated guidelines encouraging earlier exposure, which used to be discouraged over allergy fears.

🆘 I'm anxious because I'm dying!
Days after giving birth to a 10-and-a-half pound baby, new mom Lindsay Herriott started to experience swelling and a racing heart. Doctors told her this was normal and that she was probably just experiencing anxiety as a new mom. Well, it wasn't anxiety. A few days later, she started coughing up blood and went back to urgent care to find her blood pressure was over 200. Read all about her life-threatening condition here.

🦷 Wait, cavities are contagious?
Kinda.

DOSE OF GOOD

@mybowroo

Just a boy and his dog 😂👉🫶 #toddlersoftiktok #bulldogsoftiktok #bowroo

BITES WITH KIYAH

Several new studies came out this week linking common food dyes, plastics, and even hot dogs to long-term health risks in kids.

But before you panic, here’s the takeaway: small, consistent shifts at home really do make a difference.

This week I'm sharing easy ways you can reduce your chemical exposures, shift from processed deli meats, and identify food dyes. Read all about it here.

And if all you want is an easy recipe for these hot summer days, I'm making these on repeat. Stay cool out there!

HERE’S A QUESTION

Last week, we asked what your favorite outdoor summer activity was as a kid, and it was a close race between biking (42%) and swimming (36%).

RECALLS

Wait, these cheese crackers taste like peanut butter!
Mondelēz Global, the parent company of the Ritz cracker brand, has recalled four different varieties of Ritz Peanut Butter Cracker Sandwiches. Apparently, the products were mislabeled as "cheese-filled," which could lead to a life-threatening allergic reaction to those with peanut butter allergies.

Thankfully, no illnesses or allergic reactions have been reported at this time.

If you have a peanut allergy in your household, click here to get all the important details on this latest recall.