Food insecurity, which affects an estimated 15 million Americans is the limited or uncertain availability of safe and nutritionally adequate foods, or the limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways. Food insecurity has been consistently associated with poor health outcomes in children, including poorer…

Children with disabilities are at increased risk of experiencing stressful life events. These events include various forms of abuse, neglect, and household instability, such as exposure to violence, parental or guardian incarceration, and living with someone with mental illness or alcohol or drug problems. Stressful life events experienced in…

Increasing the proportion of persons, including children, who are vaccinated annually against seasonal influenza is a Healthy People 2030 Leading Health Indicator. Vaccination is effective in preventing influenza. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends an annual influenza vaccination for children aged 6 months and over. This…

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and learning disabilities are the most commonly diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorders in children and often coexist. Previous research has suggested that the prevalence of these conditions may differ by race and Hispanic origin. Using timely, nationally representative data, this report examines the…

About 16.5% of school-aged children had been diagnosed with a mental health disorder in the United States in 2016. The most common mental health disorders among children include attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, and behavioral disorders. This report describes the percentage of U.S. children aged 5-17 years who have taken…

Objective: This report examines the prevalence of developmental disabilities among children in both rural and urban areas as well as service utilization among children with developmental issues in both areas. Methods: Data from the 2015-2018 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) were used to examine the prevalence of 10 parent- or…

Maternal education has been shown to be associated with the number of children a woman has during her childbearing years, as well as maternal and infant health (1-5). Using 2017 national birth certificate data, this report describes educational attainment of mothers aged 25 and over, overall and by race and Hispanic origin and state, and the mean…

Objectives: This report describes associations between chronic school absenteeism and selected developmental disabilities (DDs) among school-aged children. Methods: Using the 2014-2016 National Health Interview Survey, multivariate logistic regression models were fit to estimate the association between DDs (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder…

Sugar-sweetened beverages contribute calories and added sugars to the diets of U.S. children. Studies have suggested a link between the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and dental caries, weight gain, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in children. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend…

Drug overdose deaths in the United States are a pressing public health challenge. In particular, drug overdoses involving opioids have increased since 1999. This report focuses specifically on drug overdose deaths for older adolescents aged 15-19. In 2015, 772 drug overdose deaths occurred in this age group. Rates for 1999-2015 are presented and…

Antidepressants are one of the three most commonly used therapeutic drug classes in the United States. While the majority of antidepressants are taken to treat depression, antidepressants can also be taken to treat other conditions, like anxiety disorders. This Data Brief provides the most recent estimates of antidepressant use in the U.S.…

Compared with white Americans, persons of other races in the United States are less likely to have access to and receive needed mental health care (1-4). Few studies, however, have explored such disparities specifically among men. Mental health and treatment have traditionally received less attention for men than women, perhaps because men are…

Objectives: This report presents data on the prevalence of diagnosed autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as reported by parents of school-aged children (ages 6-17 years) in 2011-2012. Prevalence changes from 2007 to 2011-2012 were evaluated using cohort analyses that examine the consistency in the 2007 and 2011-2012 estimates for children whose…

Teen childbearing has been generally on a long-term decline in the United States since the late 1950s. In spite of these declines, the U.S. teen birth rate remains one of the highest among other industrialized countries. Moreover, childbearing by teenagers continues to be a matter of public concern because of the elevated health risks for teen…

Objectives: This report examines two measures that identify children with emotional and behavioral problems: high scores based on questions in the brief version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and a single question about serious (definite or severe) overall emotional and behavioral difficulties. Children were classified into…