It’s not really very good news, but you probably saw it coming: children are on average less healthy and more “medicalized” [my word] than previously.
A recent article in USA Today “Number of kids on medication jumps alarmingly” (11/3/08) glosses an article in the newest issue of Pediatrics, “Trends in the Prevalence of Chronic Medication Use in Children: 2002–2005.”
Their conclusion (from the abstract):
Prevalence of chronic medication use in children increased across all therapy classes evaluated. Additional study is needed into the factors influencing these trends, including growth in chronic disease risk factors, greater awareness and screening, and greater affinity toward early use of drug therapy in children.
The USA Today author correctly calls attention to the especially alarming increase in type 2 diabetes, previously thought of as a “adult” disease, among children.
And there’s one other striking take-away:
Cox [lead author] couldn’t explain one surprising finding: Most of the increase in drugs for diabetes, attention deficit/hyperactivity and depression was seen in girls. The gender gap was most striking in diabetes: While the number of boys taking medication grew by 39%, the number of girls using them climbed by 147%, Cox found.
Wow!