New 'MAHA' report calls for overhaul of health policy to address childhood chronic diseases
The new report identifies poor diets, lack of exercise, chemical exposure and over consuming medications as key contributors to childhood chronic diseases, including obesity and diabetes.
The new report identifies poor diets, lack of exercise, chemical exposure and over consuming medications as key contributors to childhood chronic diseases, including obesity and diabetes.
The new report identifies poor diets, lack of exercise, chemical exposure and over consuming medications as key contributors to childhood chronic diseases, including obesity and diabetes.
A released Tuesday from the Trump administration's "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) Commission identifies bad diets, little exercise, too much chemical exposure and overconsumption of medications as the root causes of a childhood chronic disease crisis, calling for a sweeping overhaul of the nation's health policies.
The report outlines a four-part strategy to address diseases like diabetes and obesity.
The first pillar in the report advocated for advanced research on issues like autism, fluoride in water, vaccine injuries, and what they describe as over-prescribed mental health drugs.
The second involves policy reforms, including rewriting rules on how those on food stamps (SNAP) buy junk food and modernizing vaccines, including those recommended for kids.
The third pillar focuses on raising public awareness on things like screen time, vaping, alcohol, and drugs.
The fourth and final pillar in the report calls for private sector collaboration, working with farmers to improve soil health and restaurants to promote healthier eating.
A ban or limit on pesticide use, a central talking point from the Trump administration, was not mentioned in the report. Instead, it calls for investments in technology to increase crop productivity and decrease pesticide use, while taking a hard stance on limiting food dyes by using plants as natural color sources.
"We're the sickest country in the world. We have the highest chronic disease burden of any country in the world," Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said during the report's release Tuesday. "Yet, we spend more on health care than any other country in the world."
But the report is already facing pushback from some health groups like the , which says it welcomes the report's intentions but warns some of its proposals lack details. Health experts also caution that the administration's cuts to things like SNAP and Medicaid undermine efforts to improve children's health.
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