MAHA warns of prevalent obesity in children over six amid surging pre-diabetes rate

A new assessment by the Presidential Commission to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) identifies the key drivers behind the childhood chronic disease crisis, warning that more than one in five children over six years old in the US are obese.

The report flags that more than one in five children over six years old in the US are obese. This is a more than 270% increase compared to the 1970s. Meanwhile, pre-diabetes is in more than one in four teen, having more than doubled over the last two decades.

The analysis identifies that childhood cancer incidence has risen by nearly 40% since 1975, especially in children aged 0–19. It adds that autism spectrum disorder impacts one in 31 children by age eight.

Additionally, teenage depression rates nearly doubled from 2009 to 2019, and more than one in four teenage girls in 2022 reported a major depressive episode in the past year. Three million high school students seriously considered suicide in 2023.

Between 1997 and 2018, childhood food allergy prevalence rose 88%, underscores the report.

Kennedy plans to tackle root cause

The analysis exposes a range of contributing factors — including poor diet, accumulation of environmental toxins, insufficient physical activity, chronic stress, and overmedicalization.

“We will end the childhood chronic disease crisis by attacking its root causes head-on — not just managing its symptoms,” says the US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

“We will follow the truth wherever it leads, uphold rigorous science, and drive bold policies that put the health, development, and future of every child first.”

The next steps include developing a comprehensive strategy. The MAHA commission now has 82 days to produce the Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy, based on the findings from today’s assessment.

In March, the MAHA Commission, established by an executive order from US President Trump, faced criticism following its closed-door inaugural meeting on March 11, which contradicts the transparency promised by the commission’s founding directive.

According to experts from the O’Neill Institute and the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the commission appears to focus on promoting “unscientific policies” and casting doubt on established scientific knowledge, rather than addressing the root causes of chronic diseases like added sugars, sodium, alcohol, and tobacco.