On Tuesday, the U.S. federal administration published a report aimed at improving the health of children in the country. The report calls for wide-ranging policy changes and executive actions to tackle the chronic disease burden rising in the country. HHS Secretary Kennedy Jr. announced this report. However, reactions to the contents of the report have been mixed.
Speaking during the release, Kennedy hailed the 128 recommendations contained in the report as “unprecedented and historic” in addressing the “existential threat” posed by chronic diseases in American kids. Many researchers and experts say the report is rich in rhetoric but thin on actionable details.
The report, authored by the Kennedy-led MAHA Commission, outlines four key drivers underpinning the chronic disease surge in kids. These include overmedicalization (excessive prescription of medications), chemical exposure, poor diet, and chronic stress coupled with limited physical activity.
Advocates of public health say these goals stand in contrast to the recent actions taken by Trump’s administration, such as cutting funding to food assistance programs, Kennedy’s efforts to change vaccine policy, scientific research funding cuts and reductions in Medicaid funding. Experts say all these changes are likely to undermine public health and yet the MAHA report claims it is seeking to improve public health.
Susan Mayne, a former FDA official, says she agrees with the intention of the MAHA report since there is widespread agreement that something needs to be done about the burden posed by chronic diseases on the entire population, kids included. The Yale University-based epidemiologist adds that the good talk contained in the report isn’t reflected in the way the administration is currently allocating its resources since the recently passed budget is taking away funds from the programs that would have been used to implement the changes that the report calls for.
The plan recommends that the Surgeon General takes the lead in developing and launching an awareness initiative and education program aimed at addressing the excessive screen time of kids in order to get them more active. However, since the administration took office, it hasn’t filled the surgeon general position.
On the role of chemical exposure, the report is also disappointing because it doesn’t stipulate any plans to restrict the use of dangerous agricultural chemicals and yet Kennedy’s previous efforts as an advocate for environmental protection presented him as an opponent of agricultural herbicides and pesticides. Analysts say the agricultural lobby could have prevailed on the commission to omit language calling for the ban of these chemicals. This thinking is particularly strong given that another report, also published by MAHA, in May spoke strongly against different chemicals posing a threat to kids’ health.
All in all, many critics say this latest report just conveys Kennedy Jr.’s opinions but doesn’t go far enough to provide a plan through which needed reforms will be implemented to boost children’s health.
Different stakeholders within the healthcare system, such as Astiva Health, will be watching to see how the current administration steers the sector in order to trigger improvements in the overall health of the population.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Astiva Health are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/Astiva
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