Context Report: Childhood Chronic Health Conditions in the US
Over 40% of the roughly 73 million children (aged 0-17) in the United States have at least one chronic health condition, according to the CDC, such as asthma, allergies, obesity, autoimmune diseases, or behavioral disorders. [Citation: National Survey of Children's Health. (n.d.). NSCH 2018-19: Number of current or lifelong health conditions, nationwide, age in 3 groups. ChildHealthData.org. Retrieved February 24, 2021]
Summary: The statistic is accurate, but the citation reveals a concerning research practice where authors copied a citation directly from a CDC school health webpage without independently verifying or updating the source, as indicated by the phrase "retrieved February 24, 2021". Good research practice requires authors to verify links they use for citation, even if they discover them through other sources, which in this case would have resulted in a more recent retrieval date.
Core Context
- The citation matches exactly what appears on a CDC school health webpage, suggesting authors copied it without independent verification or updating (CDC School Health)
- Proper research practice requires independently accessing and verifying sources, not copying pre-existing citations from other documents or websites, or citing the citing document
- The "Retrieved February 24, 2021" date indicates when the CDC (or previous researchers) accessed the data, not when the 2025 report authors accessed it
- Current 2023 NSCH data is readily available and shows higher prevalence rates for key conditions like ADHD (10.5%) and anxiety (10%) that would have supported their argument better (HRSA NSCH)
- Such citation practices raise questions about the overall research methodology and fact-checking standards used throughout the report
Sources Table
| Source | Description of position on issue | Link | Initial Usefulness Rating | Specificity of Claims |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDC School Health Original Page | Contains the exact same citation format and retrieval date, showing likely source of copy-paste | CDC School Health | 5 | High - identical citation suggests copying |
| Current NSCH 2023 Data | Shows most recent data available that authors should have accessed independently | HRSA NSCH | 5 | High - demonstrates data currency gap |
| 2022 ADHD Research Publication | Peer-reviewed analysis showing proper citation methodology and current data usage | PubMed ADHD Study | 4 | High - demonstrates proper research standards |
| CDC ADHD Data 2022 | Shows updated prevalence rates (10.5%) that proper research would have found | CDC ADHD | 5 | High - what current research should cite |
| CDC Mental Health 2021-2022 | Current anxiety/depression rates (10%, 4%) available to proper researchers | CDC Mental Health | 5 | High - demonstrates available current data |
| Original ChildHealthData.org Source | The actual data source that should have been independently verified and updated | ChildHealthData.org | 4 | Medium - valid source but outdated usage |
| Academic Research Standards | Guidelines showing proper citation verification requirements in peer-reviewed research | Research Ethics Guide | 3 | Medium - general methodological standards |
| NSCH Data Currency Documentation | HRSA documentation showing annual data releases through 2023 | HRSA Datasets | 4 | High - demonstrates data availability timeline |