The Trump administration’s commission to “Make America Healthy Again” recently released its first report, offering a wide-ranging critique of the U.S. approach to children’s health, and potential areas for changes and improvements.
The 73-page tome, released May 16, centers on broad, systemic barriers to children’s well-being that have created the “sickest generation” in the nation’s history. Described as a “call to action,” the report advocates for shifting away from profit-driven, medicalized models and toward prevention, public health and community-centered care.
“After a century of costly and ineffective approaches, the federal government will lead a coordinated transformation of our food, health, and scientific systems,” wrote the MAHA Commission, which is chaired by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services and comprised of Cabinet members and senior executives of federal agencies. “This strategic realignment will ensure that all Americans—today and in the future—live longer, healthier lives, supported by systems that prioritize prevention, wellbeing, and resilience.”
4 Drivers Undermine Health of U.S. Children
Despite outspending other nations on healthcare on a per capita basis, the U.S.’s health, economy and military readiness are threatened by the chronic illnesses children in America experience. The commission lays the blame for this on poor diet, environmental chemicals, a lack of physical activity and overmedicalization.
Diving deeper into what it perceives as the root cause of these conditions, the commission takes aim at least four broader corporate, political and medical trends.
1. Corporate Influence and Regulatory Weakness
The report argues that “corporate capture” has significantly shaped children’s health in the U.S. According to MAHA, industries, including pharmaceutical, food and digital technology companies, exert major influence over regulatory agencies and public health policies, which the report characterizes as “systemically frail.”
The authors state that this influence often undermines efforts to prioritize children’s well-being.
2. Overmedicalization and Overdiagnosis
MAHA contends that U.S. children are increasingly subject to overmedicalization and overdiagnosis. The report points to the rapid growth of prescription medications and medical device use in pediatrics, arguing that this trend is fueled by direct-to-consumer advertising and aggressive industry marketing.
The authors assert that these interventions may distract from root causes of poor health, including environmental and commercial determinants.
3. Environmental and Commercial Exposures
The report highlights children’s vulnerability to environmental toxins, unhealthy food systems, and digital technologies. MAHA points to widespread exposure to chemicals in food, consumer products and the environment, describing current regulation as insufficient to protect children’s health.
4. Systemic Barriers to Health
The authors identify systemic barriers—such as fragmented care, lack of preventive focus, and insufficient investment in social determinants that contribute to poor health outcomes for U.S. children. The report stresses the need for “prevention-first” strategies and greater attention to upstream determinants of health.
MAHA Report Critiques Current U.S. Policy Paradigm
Throughout the report, MAHA is critical of what it describes as a “profit-driven” model of child health policy and practice in the U.S.. The authors, all of whom hold call for a rebalancing of priorities, away from industry-defined solutions and toward public health, prevention and community empowerment.
Next Steps for MAHA Commission
The MAHA Commission has begun working on developing the strategy to fix the issues identified in its current report. The commission plans on providing an update on its approach in August.
“Some of the steps to implement these research initiatives are already underway and others will begin this in the near future,” the report concludes. “We invite all of America, especially the private sector and academia, to be part of the solution.”