What are common health concerns for children in the United States?

Common health concerns for children vary by age but can be broken down into acute (new, short-term) and chronic (long-term) conditions. The most common acute conditions that parents bring their children to the doctor for include infections (such as ear infections, bronchitis, diarrhea, etc.). Other acute conditions include sprains and other injuries. The more common chronic conditions affecting children include developmental and behavioral concerns, poor growth, obesity, asthma and skin conditions.

The greatest threats to the health of children growing up today in the United States are no longer infectious diseases such as polio, chicken pox, mumps, cholera, or malaria. Increasingly they are chronic diseases such as autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder, asthma, obesity, diabetes, and pediatric cancers -- and these are on the rise.