The US Presidential Commission to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) has released its assessment identifying key drivers behind the childhood chronic disease crisis.
The 69-page report exposes a range of contributing factors – including poor diet, accumulation of environmental toxins, insufficient physical activity, chronic stress, and over-medicalisation.
Responding to the publication, food policy expert Professor Marion Nestle said, “It’s a stunning report, a devastating critique of what American society has done to its kids.” But, she said, “This is just talk. The report is meant to be a call to action, but those actions will necessarily require taking on the food, ag, chemical, and pharma industries and I don’t see MAGA doing that. Indeed its budget, staff, and regulatory cuts are going the opposite way.”
USA Today identified that, “The report takes a close look at the American diet and flags ultra-processed grains, sugars, fats and food additives as problems fueling chronic diseases. Authors say ultra-processed foods, or UPFs, replace healthier foods and encourage people to eat more. UPFs include foods like chips, cheeseburgers, French fries, soda, cake, candy and cookies.”
By examining key drivers of childhood ill-health, the White House says that the assessment arms MAHA Commission stakeholders and partners with clear evidence that will support the development of effective policy interventions where they can deliver the greatest impact.
US Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said, “We will end the childhood chronic disease crisis by attacking its root causes head-on—not just managing its symptoms. We will follow the truth wherever it leads, uphold rigorous science, and drive bold policies that put the health, development, and future of every child first.”
President Trump declared that the report marked, “a historic milestone on our mission to make America healthy again.”
In a call with reporters, Kennedy said the commission will work over the next 80 days to issue policy recommendations for the White House based on the report’s findings.
PFAS, pesticides, fluoride and vaccines
The report flags environmental toxins and calls for more research to study the health effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, microplastics, fluoride, electromagnetic radiation, phthalates, bisphenols and pesticides. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are also known as PFAS or forever chemicals.
USA Today reports that fluoride has been added to the public water supplies for decades and dental products, such as toothpaste, as a dental cavities prevention measure. Controversially, Kennedy’s push against fluoride has led health regulators to remove ingestible fluoride supplements from the market. Utah and Florida have banned fluoride from drinking water, but Kentucky, Louisiana and South Carolina now have anti-fluoride bills on the table.
The report also calls out the herbicides glyphosate and atrazine and says an updated assessment on these common substances will be coming out in 2026.
As expected, the MAHA Commission criticises childhood immunisation. While decades of evidence demonstrates the safety and benefits of vaccines the MAHA commission is encouraging larger clinical trials to look into the safety of childhood vaccines and potential links to chronic diseases.
The report also says that less time spent outside in nature, and more time spent on screens and social media is contributing to the rise of negative physical and mental health outcomes in US children.
The report press release highlighted the following key pressures:
- Today in the US more than 1 in 5 children over 6 years old are obese. This is a more than 270 per cent increase compared to the 1970s
- Prevalence of pre-diabetes in teens is more than 1 in 4 teens, having more than doubled over the last 2 decades
- Childhood cancer incidence has risen over nearly 40 per cent since 1975, especially in children aged 0-19
- Autism spectrum disorder impacts 1 in 31 children by age 8
- Teenage depression rates nearly doubled from 2009 to 2019, and with more than 1 in 4 teenage girls in 2022 reporting a major depressive episode in the past year
- Three million high school students seriously considered suicide in 2023
- Between 1997 and 2018, childhood food‑allergy prevalence rose 88 per cent