Even though children’s health issues have troubled federal and state bodies for ages in the United States, some of them are currently posing big problems. For instance, obesity, which is a national health issue with the adult population, is currently affecting the younger people too in various ways. According to estimates, more than 16% of all kids in the US who are aged between 6 and 16 are either overweight or obese. And the worst part is that, the figure is escalating like never before.

Studies conducted reveal that there are several reasons for this, like genetic factors, plump parentage, wrong eating habits, socioeconomic oddities, and gross inactivity (time spent mostly on the TV or the computer instead of outdoor activities) are some of the key factors for creating this national crisis. However, the problem appears to be more acute with Hispanic youths, especially with young girls coming from the low-income group of families. Indiscriminate consumption of fatty fast foods also contributes towards the problem. Exercising any restrain over the issue often creates emotional problems on the one hand (with teenage girls), while providing better alternatives at home is sometimes expensive. The only solution that seems practical entails active counseling.

Children, as we know, always clamor for love and attention from their parents. But today’s socioeconomic challenges prevent this natural bondage, and this is affecting children’s health. Both the parents are working from morning till night, and the child craves for love and care all the while. The result is insecurity and related problems.

One result of this is the ADHD or the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder syndrome. Studies reveal that more than 7.5% US of all kids aged between three and seven suffer from this disorder, and this is making them restless, hyperactive and deeply impulsive. It can sometimes cross the barrier of juvenile delinquency in adult life. While modern mind-forming drugs are often used to counteract the problem, the root factor is in improving the relationship between parents and children – but this is where the challenge is.

Despite the school level sex education and campaigning about safe sex among teenagers in most US states, teen pregnancy remains a problem. The problem seems more acute in the Southern states as compared to the rest of the country. Naturally, it creates a problem both on the mental as well as the physical health.

Not unlike the ADHD described above, Autism is also taking its toll on the young generation in the United States today. According to the Mayo Clinic, it is a grave developmental disorder that affects children who are under the age of 3, and when it does, the child’s ability to communicate and intermingle is seriously compromised. Even though no key clue has yet been provided by medical science as to the prevalence of autism, some doctors attribute the use of too many immunization programs as the root cause of this peculiar unanswerable disease that is baffling the medics. It is a serious condition because it affects children’s health severely.