Chronic conditions in childhood: Overview

A healthy childhood lays the foundation for good health later in life. That’s why it’s important to understand how children and youth in Canada are doing, what affects their health and how things change over time. Long-term conditions that start early in life often have lasting impacts on physical and mental health. This is especially true if they aren’t identified, diagnosed and effectively managed through proper supports.^{Footnote 1} Detecting, treating or supporting these conditions early may improve future outcomes. Adopting healthy lifestyles and behaviours early can also help to reduce the risk of some chronic conditions and poorer health later in life.^{Footnote 2Footnote 3Footnote 4}

• 24.8% (or more than 1.6 million) of children and youth aged 1 to 17 years had a diagnosed long-term condition in 2023.
  • This is an increase from 23.0% in 2019.
• In both years, there was a higher prevalence of long-term conditions in males compared to females.
  • The prevalence also increased with age.
• In 2023, the most prevalent conditions were:
  • attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (8.4%)
  • learning disabilities or disorders (6.8%)
  • asthma (6.4%)
• Most long-term conditions remained stable between 2019 and 2023. The exceptions were:
  • decreases in the prevalence of asthma (7.0% to 6.4%) and learning disabilities or disorders (8.4% to 6.8%)
  • increases in the prevalence of ADHD (6.7% to 8.4%) and autism (2.0% to 3.0%)

Learn more in the Prevalence tab.

• a lower proportion of those with a long-term condition:
  • lived in an urban area
  • were a visible minority
  • were from an immigrant family
  • had parents with a bachelor’s degree or higher
• a higher proportion of those with a long-term condition were First Nation or Métis
• a higher proportion of those with a long-term condition experienced poorer physical health and lower positive mental health outcomes
• a lower proportion of those with a long-term condition met the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for physical activity, sleep and screen time

Learn more in the Determinants and outcomes tab.