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The Make America Healthy Again Commission released the Make Our Children Healthy Again strategy Tuesday to reverse what it calls the "chronic disease epidemic."
The report is a long-awaited follow-up to the Make America Healthy Again report released in May.
The commission, chaired by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., released more than 120 initiatives but was light on specifics, according to NBC News.
The report addresses issues of poor diets, chemical exposure, lack of physical activity, chronic stress and over-medication. It also brings up the hours of screen time that runs counter to outdoor activity and cites it as a factor in stress and sleep problems.
Over 60% of children's calories now come from highly processed foods, contributing to obesity, diabetes and other chronic conditions, the report said.
WHY THIS MATTERS
On Tuesday, Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wisc., chairman of the Committee of Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services, began a hearing on the report by addressing obesity.
He couldn't help but notice, Grothman said, that children are clearly heavier now than they were in the 1970s.
Of young adults ages 17 to 24, 77% would not qualify for military service without a waiver due to obesity and other health conditions, Grothman said.
"I'm glad Kennedy is a disruptive force," Grothman said.
Obesity rates have soared to being at least four times higher than in the 1970s, said Dr. Dorothy Fink, who testified. Fink is acting assistant secretary for Health and head of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Department of Health and Human Services.
Thirty-two percent of adolescents have pre-diabetes, and 36% have excess weight.
Many of these conditions are preventable and reversible, Fink said. HHS is also restoring a physical activity presidential fitness test.
Also testifying was Dr. Eve Stoody, director, Nutrition Guidance and Analysis Division, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Combatting poor diet and obesity needs the combined efforts of the food industry, schools, restaurants and more, Stoody said.
States are being encouraged to submit waivers for more nutritious food, Stoody said. This restricts certain unhealthy foods, such as soda and candy, from being purchased with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
The USDA recently announced it is purchasing millions of dollars in fresh seafood, fruits and vegetables, she said. The $230 million in fresh food will be distributed to food banks and nutrition programs across the county.
Subcommittee Ranking Member Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., said that while the Trump administration is promoting the waivers under "Make America Healthy Again," it has cut SNAP and Medicaid benefits for low-income families.
THE LARGER TREND
The Make Children Healthy Again strategy focuses on expanding National Institutes of Health and agency research into chronic disease prevention, nutrition and metabolic health, food quality, environmental exposures, autism, gut microbiome, precision agriculture, rural and tribal health, vaccine injury and mental health.
It includes reforming dietary guidelines, defining ultra-processed foods, improving food labeling and more; deregulation, such as streamlining organic certification and restoring whole milk in schools; and private sector collaboration.
The latest report is a follow-up to the MAHA Commission report released in May.
ON THE RECORD
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins said by statement, "America's farmers and ranchers are at the heart of the solution – alongside doctors, parents, and communities – to fight chronic disease and protect future generations."
"The Trump Administration is mobilizing every part of government to confront the childhood chronic disease epidemic," Kennedy said by statement. "This strategy represents the most sweeping reform agenda in modern history – realigning our food and health systems, driving education and unleashing science to protect America's children and families. We are ending the corporate capture of public health, restoring transparency, and putting gold-standard science – not special interests – at the center of every decision."
Email the writer: SMorse@himss.org