Dhaka, July 8 -- The health of American children has declined steadily over the past 17 years, with rising rates of obesity, chronic diseases, and mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety, according to a new comprehensive study published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

While many of the individual trends have been reported before, the study stands out for its scope-analyzing 170 indicators using eight major data sources, including national surveys, electronic health records, and international mortality statistics.

"The surprising part wasn't any single statistic," said study co-author Dr. Christopher Forrest of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "It was that all the data showed the same thi...