Youth Statistics: Health

Access to Health Care

In 2023, 44% of children age 0-17 had public health insurance, 54% had private health insurance, and 4% were uninsured [1]. Hispanic children are less likely to have insurance coverage than are White, Black, or Asian non-Hispanic children [1]. In New York State, 3% of children 18 and under were without health insurance [2].

Most children under 18 (97%) have a usual source of preventive care such as a physician, clinic, or HMO [3]. However, many clinicians report feeling ill-equipped to help youth who are dealing with issues such as substance abuse or pregnancy [4]. Assurance of confidentiality is especially important to teens, who may not give complete information to health care providers — or may not seek care in the first place — unless they feel that their privacy is secure [4].

Most adolescents age 12-17 visited a dentist in 2020 (88%) [5]. However, adolescents with private insurance are much more likely to receive dental care than adolescents with public insurance [6].

Dietary Behaviors

Of all households with children age 0-17, 18% lacked the resources to provide healthy meals at times during 2022 [7]. In the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 25% of high school students reported eating vegetables at least twice a day, while 27% reported eating fruits or drinking 100% fruit juice two or more times a day [8]. Additionally, 31% of high school students reported not drinking soda or pop in the previous week, and 27% reported eating breakfast daily [8].

In 2023, an international systematic review estimated that 1 in 5 children and adolescents (age 6-18) demonstrate disordered eating behaviors, with the proportion increasing with age [9].

In 2022-2023, 17% of adolescents age 6-17 were obese [10]. Dieting, which is associated with long-term weight gain and eating disorders [11], is quite common among youth. In 2023, 55% of high school girls and 35% of high school boys were trying to lose weight [8].

Physical Activity and Sleep

Just under half (46%) of high school students reported a high level of physical activity in 2023 (at least 60 minutes a day for five or more days in the week before the survey). There is a significant gender disparity: 36% of girls and 56% of boys reported this level of activity. About half of youth (52%) play on at least one sports team, including 48% of girls and 56% of boys [8].

About one in four (23%) high school students reported having at least eight hours of sleep on a typical school night. Ninth grade students were more likely to have eight hours of sleep than seniors at 31% and 18%, respectively [8].

Mental Health

Many youth struggle with mental health symptoms and conditions at some point in their lives. In 2023, girls age 12-17 were more likely than boys to report a diagnosis of anxiety (20% vs. 12%) or depression (11% vs. 6%), while boys were more likely to be diagnosed with behavior/conduct disorders than were girls (8% vs. 4%) [12]. According to a 2024 report, one in five youth age 12-17 had one or more major depressive episodes in the year they were surveyed, and over half — nearly 3 million adolescents — received no treatment [13]. The CDC estimates that each year 20% of all children suffer from an identified mental health condition and that 40% will have one by age 18 [14].

Poverty and uneven resource distribution lead to inequities in access to mental health services, affecting youth from low-income and rural families disproportionately. This limited access contributes to persistent disparities in mental health outcomes [15]. Racial and ethnic minority youth also suffer mental health disparities, with higher prevalence of certain conditions and inadequate access to services [15]. Similarly, sexual and gender minority youth are burdened with barriers to care and report higher rates of certain conditions [15].

For example, among high school students in 2023, lesbian, gay, bisexual, questioning, and transgender students were much more likely to have experienced depression than heterosexual students [8]:

• transgender, 71%
• bisexual, 67%
• not sure of their sexual orientation ("other/questioning"), 65%
• gay or lesbian, 64%
• cisgender ("not transgender"), 38%
• heterosexual, 31%

From 2000 to 2021, the suicide rate for children and young adults ages 10-24 increased by 52% [16]. In 2023, nearly one in ten high school students reported suicide attempts [8].

• In 2023, more than half of transgender high school students seriously considered suicide, as did 45% of students who not sure of their gender identity [8]. Just over one in four transgender students actually attempted suicide [8]. High school girls (27%) were more likely to seriously consider suicide than high school boys (14%) [8]. Girls were also more likely to attempt suicide (13% vs. 6%) [8].
• High school students who are lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB), and those who are unsure of/questioning their sexual identity, are more likely to consider, make a plan, and attempt suicide than heterosexual youth. For example, 45% of bisexual students, 40% of not sure/questioning students, and 34% of gay or lesbian students seriously considered suicide (compared to 13% of heterosexual students) [8].

Injury, Violence, and Mortality

Mortality

In 2021, among 10-14 year old adolescents, accidents (unintentional injuries) were the leading cause of death (26% of all deaths in this age group), followed by suicide (17%) and cancer (13%) [17]. Unintentional injury (38%) was the leading cause of death for adolescents age 15-19, followed by homicide (21%), suicide (18%), and cancer (4%) [17]. Males have a much higher mortality rate than females in this age group [17].

Fighting

The number of high school students who report having been in at least one physical fight in the past year decreased from 36% in 2007 to 19% in 2023 [8]. Males (25%) are more likely than females (13%) to have been in a fight [8].

Weapons

In 2023, 4% of high school students reported having carried a weapon on school property on at least one of the last 30 days, and 9% of high school students reported being threatened or injured by a weapon on school property [8]. Nearly 5% of male students carried a gun on at least one day during the 12 months before the survey [8].

Violent Crime

From 2000 to 2022, youth incarceration decreased by 75%, from 108,800 to 27,600 on a typical day [18]. From 2000 to 2018, approximately 5% of youth arrests were for violent crimes including aggravated assault, robbery, rape, and murder, but this proportion rose to 8% by 2020 [18]. Within the justice system, significant disparities continue to exist in treatment and outcomes for Black youth: see The Sentencing Project for a breakdown.

In 2023, 13% of female high school students and 4% of male high school students reported (on an anonymous survey) that they had been physically forced to have sexual intercourse at some point in their lives [8]. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth, as well as students questioning their sexual orientation, are more likely to have been physically forced to have sexual intercourse than heterosexual and cisgender youth (19% bisexual students, 16% lesbian or gay students, 15% questioning students, 22% transgender students, 6% heterosexual students, 8% cisgender students) [8].

Dating Violence

Among high school students who dated, 15% of girls and 4% of boys experienced unwanted sexual contact from a dating partner in 2021. In addition, 10% of girls and 7% of boys who dated reported that they were purposely hit, slammed into something, or injured with an object or weapon by a dating partner in the 12 months preceding the survey. The rates of both sexual and physical dating violence have been decreasing since 2013 [19].

Dating violence is more prevalent among high school students who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual, as well as those who are questioning their identity. Among those who dated, 12% of lesbian and gay students, 21% of bisexual students, and 16% of questioning students had experienced sexual dating violence compared to 7% of heterosexual students. In that same group, 14% of lesbian or gay students, 16% of bisexual students, and 13% of questioning students had been intentionally hit, slammed into something, or injured with an object or weapon by a dating partner compared to 6% of heterosexual students [19].