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HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  JUL / AUG 2025 17 hus/2019/012-508.pdf. 40 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Health conditions among children under age 18, by selected characteristics: United States, average annual, selected years 1997–1999 through 2016–2018 (Health, United States, 2019, Table 12). National Center for Health Statistics. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus/data-finder. htm?year=2019&table=Table%20012. 41 Catassi, C., Gatti, S., & Fasano, A. (2014). The new epidemiology of celiac disease. Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition, 59, S7-S9. 42 McGowan, K. E., Castiglione, D. A., & Butzner, J. D. (2009). The changing face of childhood celiac disease in North America: impact of serological testing. Pediatrics, 124(6), 1572-1578. 43 Kappelman, M. D., Brensinger, C., Parlett, L. E., Hurtado-Lorenzo, A., & Lewis, J. D. (2025). Prevalence of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease in the United States: Pooled estimates from three administrative claims data sources. Gastroenterology, 168(5), 980–982. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2024.11.015. 44 Clemente-Suárez, V. J., Beltrán-Velasco, A. I., Redondo-Flórez, L., Martín-Rodríguez, A., & Tornero-Aguilera, J. F. (2023). Global Impacts of Western Diet and Its Effects on Metabolism and Health: A Narrative Review. Nutrients, 15(12), 2749. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15122749. 45 Martini, D., Godos, J., Bonaccio, M., Vitaglione, P., & Grosso, G. (2021). Ultra-Processed Foods and Nutritional Dietary Profile: A Meta-Analysis of Nationally Representative Rates of Neurodevelopmental Disorders are Increasing • Autism spectrum disorder impacts 1 in 31 children by age 8 and is estimated to be 3.4 times more common in boys than girls, according to the CDC. 22 Rates also vary signifi- cantly by state – from 9.7 per 1,000 in Texas (Laredo) to 53 per 1,000 in California. 23 In 1960, autism occurred in less than 1 in 10,000 children. 2425 In the 1980s, autism occurred at rates of 1 to 4 out of 10,000 children. 26 • Over 10% of children have been diagnosed withAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), with approximately 1 million more children diagnosed in 2022 compared to 2016. 27 • Rates of other neurodevelopmental disorders and learning impairments are also increas- ing. 28 29 Over 7.5 million K-12 students received special education services in 2023-24. 30 Childhood Cancer Incidence Has Risen Dramatically • Childhood cancer incidence has risen over 40% since 1975. 31 According to CDC, kids in Louisiana are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than the US average, more likely to be medicated for ADHD, and less likely to get behavioral treatment. Source: https://www.cdc.gov/adhd/data/state- profiles-diagnosis-and-medication-treatment. html Louisiana tops the country for children under 6 at risk of Developmental Delay (35.2% vs the national average 26.4%). Source: https://www.academicpedsjnl.net/article/ S1876-2859(10)00250-0/fulltext#supplementary- material According to CDC, ASD prevalence varies widely across geographic areas. Currently, no research has shown that living in certain communities increases the chance that a child will have ASD. Geographic variation could, however, be related to differences in how children with ASD are identified and/or served in their local communities and how this information is collected and reported. ASD data for many states is available. Louisiana is not included in the state data at CDC, and LDH would not comment on why.