(LifeSiteNews) — A study published on Monday by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) indicates that almost half of U.S. children were afflicted with at least one chronic physical or mental health condition as of 2023 in a continued deterioration over the past 16 years.
“From 2011 to 2023, the prevalence of 3- to 17-year-old individuals with a chronic condition rose from 39.9% to 45.7%,” the study authors wrote.
Among the health conditions that increased among children during this period were obesity, early onset of menstruation, trouble sleeping, limitations in activity, physical symptoms, depressive symptoms, and loneliness.
Notably, children’s mental health took a particularly sharp decline in recent years. The National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) found that of all the health conditions surveyed, anxiety had the highest level of increase from 2011 to 2023, and it came in as a close second for the largest uptick during that period, according to PEDSnet data representing 10 pediatric health systems.
In addition, symptoms of depression (feeling sad or hopeless) skyrocketed from an already-high 26.1% of ninth to 12th graders in 2009 to 39.7% in 2023. Feelings of loneliness among 12- to 18-year-old individuals also shot up from 20.2% in 2007 to 30.8% in 2021.
While the study did not investigate the causes behind these health conditions, other studies suggest potential factors for mental health problems among children. For example, researchers have already linked the COVID pandemic, with its accompanying public lockdowns and school closures, to a spike in depression among adolescents as well as adults. Last year, a Florida grand jury found that COVID lockdowns were linked to a “precipitous” decline in mental health and related spike in drug-abuse deaths.
Canadian physicians have also pointed out that lockdown policies have resulted in an increase in “anxiety and depression” due to “isolation” and “economic distress.”
Anxiety and depression have also been linked to social media use. Reports indicate that children who use social media have a 16 percent rate of anxiety versus 12 percent for those who do not. This disparity is much greater for teens: 27 percent of those who use social media experience anxiety and 14 percent experience depression, whereas teens who do not use social media report anxiety and depression at rates of 9 percent and 4 percent, respectively.
Notably, the surveys used in the JAMA study found that aside from anxiety rates, children suffered the greatest increases in learning disabilities, autism, behavioral problems, developmental delays, depression, and speech disorders.
Children’s Health Defense, which was founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has devoted itself to researching children’s health issues and advocating for their needs since 2018.
The group asserts that “Mounting evidence indicates environmental toxins such as heavy metals, pesticides and herbicides as the principal culprits” behind children’s chronic health conditions, “while studies link vaccines and toxic vaccine ingredients to a wide range of adverse health outcomes, including seizures, neurodevelopmental disorders and infant death.”
