Children in the U.S. Are Dying at a Higher Rate than Kids in Similar Countries, Study Says
Babies are 1.78 times more likely to perish, and children aged 1 to 19 are 1.8 times more likely to die than those in comparable countries
Author Dr. Chris Forrest pointed out that the worrying trends are like a "proverbial canary in the coal mine," pointing to a larger problem within AmericaA new study shed light on a worrying trend in the health of American children.
In a Monday, July 7 study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), research suggested that American children are in worse health than those growing up in other developed countries. Additionally, they are progressively less healthy than they were in previous years.
The study examined trends in the health of children between 2007 and 2023. It found that in the U.S., "children's health has deteriorated across a broad spectrum of indicators."
Data and trends between 2007 and 2022 suggest that infants are 1.78 times more likely to die in the U.S. than in other countries of a similar standing. Children between the ages of 1 and 19 were also 1.8 times more likely to die than their counterparts in other countries.
In the latter group, there was a marked difference in the likelihood of dying from "firearm-related incidents" and "motor vehicle crashes," with American children dramatically more likely to perish as a result of these avoidable tragedies.
In perspective, this amounts to approximately 54 more children dying per day in America, per the study. The findings come after deaths in the U.S. were in line with other countries in the 1960s.
The study also suggested that American children were 14% more likely to suffer a chronic condition than their counterparts. The likelihood of being diagnosed with a chronic condition also increased from 39.9% to 45.7% in America between 2011 and 2023.
Examples of chronic issues that children are now battling include the likes of "depression, anxiety and loneliness increased, as did rates of autism, behavioral conduct problems, developmental delays, speech language disorders and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders."
'I think we all should be disturbed by this,' Dr. Chris Forrest, a professor of pediatrics at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and director of the Applied Clinical Research Center, told CNN. 'Kids in this country are really suffering.'
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Speaking to the outlet, Forrest noted that he has seen a change in his patients since he started practicing medicine in the '90s.
He attributed that to a variety of elements, saying that it comes together to create "a very toxic environment."
While the Make America Healthy Again Commission, fronted by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy has targeted chemicals in food and elsewhere as a cause for America's worsening health, Forrest said that the problem runs much deeper.
"It's not just the chemicals. It's not just the food and the iPhones. It's a much broader. It's much deeper. It's what we call the developmental ecosystem, and it makes it very challenging to change it,' Forrest told CNN. 'That's a hard answer for people who want a pithy message that tells them how to fix the issues. It's about where they're growing up, where they're going to school, they're playing, where their families live, their neighborhoods, and it's not just one population. It's the whole nation that needs help.'
Another element that he highlighted was that "women are also suffering in this country," suggesting that children are being born into already sickening households.
Citing the research, he said, 'This means the same kid born in this country is much more likely to die than if they were born in Germany or Denmark. Why are we allowing this to happen?'
For Forrest, the research is comparable to "the proverbial canary in the coal mine."
"When [children's] health is deteriorating, that means the foundation of our nation is also deteriorating," he concluded.
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