On May 22, 2025, the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission published the Make Our Children Healthy Again Assessment, an approximately 70+ page report diagnosing rising childhood chronic disease in the United States. Developed under Executive Order 14212 and led by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the assessment identifies four primary drivers of the crisis: the dominance of ultra-processed foods in children’s diets; widespread exposure to environmental chemicals; reduced physical activity combined with chronic stress; and growing reliance on medical interventions.
Later, on September 9, 2025, the MAHA Commission released a shorter Strategy Report (~20 pages) that builds on the assessment and lays out policy proposals and federal agency actions for the coming months.
What is the MAHA report, and who is behind it?
The MAHA report, part of the Make America Healthy Again Commission, is a body created by the White House to examine children’s health trends and recommend solutions. It is chaired by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and includes members from across federal agencies. The report fulfills the executive order’s requirement for a 100-day assessment and will be followed by a 180-day strategy document.
Why did the White House order this assessment?
Executive Order 14212 directed the commission to investigate the scope and causes of childhood chronic disease and provide recommendations to the President.
The administration framed the report as necessary because, despite high U.S. healthcare spending, American children face rising rates of obesity, diabetes, allergies, autoimmune conditions, and mental health challenges. The commission was tasked with identifying where government systems may be falling short and what factors most contribute to these health outcomes.
What childhood health trends does the report highlight?
The report describes U.S. children as experiencing higher rates of chronic disease than their peers in other developed nations. More than 40 percent of children are estimated to have at least one chronic condition, with obesity, diabetes, allergies, and mental health issues among the most common.
It also points to rising diagnoses of anxiety, depression, suicide risk, and neurodevelopmental disorders. The report notes these health trends affect not only quality of life and family well-being but also the nation’s workforce and military readiness.
What drivers of the “childhood chronic disease crisis” does the report identify?
The assessment outlines four primary drivers:
- Ultra-processed foods (UPFs): Children now get the majority of their calories from UPFs, which are often high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat while lacking key nutrients.
- Environmental chemical exposure: Children encounter thousands of synthetic chemicals through food, water, air, and consumer products, with cumulative effects that current regulations may not fully address.
- Lifestyle and stress factors: Declining physical activity, increased screen time, poor sleep, and chronic stress collectively impact both physical and mental health.
- Overmedicalization: Children are being prescribed more medications and facing expanded medical protocols, raising concerns about long-term impacts and the role of corporate influence in shaping practices.
What does the report recommend happens next?
The report calls for a federal strategy built on independent science, with prevention at the center. Agencies are urged to tighten food and chemical safety rules, promote healthier daily habits for children, and take a look at medical practices that may be overused.
The commission also emphasizes the importance of limiting corporate influence in public health decisions and restoring transparency in the policymaking process.
How soon could policy changes be proposed?
The MAHA report is the required 100-day assessment. A more detailed Strategy document is due within 180 days of the executive order. That strategy is expected to outline concrete policy proposals, regulatory updates, and programmatic changes. Several agencies, including HHS, USDA, FDA, EPA, and NIH, are identified as central to carrying this work forward.
10 key takeaways from the MAHA report
Here are the 10 most important takeaways from the report findings:
Ultra-processed foods dominate kids’ diets
The report finds that nearly 70% of children’s calories now come from ultra-processed foods, a dramatic change from a century ago. These are packaged products made for convenience and shelf life, but they often displace fruits, vegetables, and fiber-rich meals, and have different nutrient profiles than the original form. It suggests, “The greatest step the United States can take to reverse childhood chronic disease is to put whole foods produced by American farmers and ranchers at the center of healthcare.”
Nutrient depletion is a hidden consequence
The MAHA report points out how dramatically kids’ diets have changed in just a few generations. Processed grains, added sugars, and industrial fats; ingredients that were “virtually nonexistent a century ago”, now make up more than two-thirds of the calories American children eat.
That shift has crowded out fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient-rich foods. The report states that this displacement has left many children deficient in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, weakening what it calls “optimal biological function” and putting their long-term health at risk.
Children are exposed to chemicals
According to the assessment, “over 40,000 chemicals are registered for use in the U.S.,” and many have been detected in children’s blood or urine. Pesticides, microplastics, and industrial pollutants are part of everyday exposure.
The report cautions that children are not “little adults when it comes to environmental chemicals” and are especially vulnerable during pregnancy, infancy, and puberty, when exposures can disrupt brain development, hormones, and immune function.
Screen time and stress are leading to a youth health crisis
American teens now average nearly nine hours of screen time a day outside of school. At the same time, physical activity has declined, sleep is inadequate for most adolescents, and reported levels of loneliness and stress are rising. The report describes “a deepening psychosocial crisis” among youth, linking screen overuse and chronic stress to obesity, anxiety, and depression.
Sleep deprivation among teens
Up to 75% of 17 to 18-year-olds are not getting adequate sleep, and 95% of 12th graders sleep less than the recommended time. The report calls this a nationwide “sleep crisis,” with long-term effects on learning, mood, and overall health. It notes that sleep deprivation has become a defining feature of adolescent life with consequences that extend into adulthood.
Medication use among children is at record levels
About one in five U.S. children has taken a prescription drug in the past month. Prescriptions for ADHD stimulants increased 250 percent between 2006 and 2016, and antidepressant use in teenagers has increased by 14-fold between 1987 and 2014.
The commission states that “American children are on too much medicine,” warning that drugs are often used to mask conditions linked with diet, environment, or stress rather than solving them.
Overmedicalization reflects deeper system problems
The report notes that “roughly one-third of healthcare spending in the United States is wasteful and does not improve patient health.” Children, it adds, have become “highly medicated,” sometimes receiving treatments that create long-term risks instead of lasting benefits. The commission highlights this trend as an “emerging crisis” that must be addressed alongside prevention.
Corporate influence on scientific research & regulations
The assessment devotes significant attention to what it calls corporate influence on research and laws and regulations. It points to the industry’s role in funding nutrition and pharmaceutical research, lobbying regulators, and shaping dietary guidelines. This influence, the report argues, has exacerbated threats to American childhood by weakening public protections and prioritizing profit over health.
Mental health burdens are surging
The report states that America’s youth are facing a deepening mental health crisis. Teenage depression rates nearly doubled between 2009 and 2019, which is alarming. In 2023 alone, three million high school students seriously considered suicide. This is also linked to family dynamics, and as the report stated, children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are more likely to develop mental health issues.
A federal strategy to make Americans’ lives better
This assessment is just the beginning. By executive order, the commission must deliver a national strategy within 180 days. That plan will translate the findings into specific recommendations across food policy, chemical regulation, healthcare, and education as mentioned in the report, “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.”
What’s next?
The commission’s next deliverable is the Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy, due within 180 days of the executive order. That strategy will build upon the assessment and outline specific actions for federal agencies. Work is expected to focus on modernizing food and nutrition policies, strengthening chemical safety regulations, investing in prevention, and ensuring transparency in health decision-making.
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