Why Are Americans So Sick?

Families, communities, states, and nations are stronger when the rising generation is healthy. In attempt to Make America Healthy Again, President Donald Trump nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be his Secretary of U.S. Health and Human Services. The Make America Healthy Again Commission, headed by Kennedy, recently released its highly anticipated report. The commission found the following, according to Lois M. Collins at The Deseret News: 

America’s children have a health crisis that’s built on the poor diet caused by ultra-processed foods, toxic environmental chemicals, too little physical activity, chronic stress and “overmedicalization.” …

The commission wrote that the goal of the report is to establish “a clear, evidence-based foundation for the policy interventions, institutional reforms and societal shifts needed to reverse course.”

The report paints a picture of American health – and particularly that of children – that’s anything but rosy. The U.S. spends twice as much as its peer nations on health, but comes in last among them for life expectancy, with higher levels of heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

The report also notes that 40% of the approximately 73 million U.S. children younger than 18 have at least one chronic condition, based on CDC data. One in five over age 6 are obese. And it says three-fourths of young people ages 17-24 are “ineligible for military service – primarily due to obesity, poor physical fitness and/or mental health challenges.”

“Today’s children are the sickest generation in American history in terms of chronic disease and these preventable trends continue to worsen each year, posing a threat to our nation’s health, economy and military readiness,” per the commission.

Collins discussed the following key takeaways from the “Making Our Children Healthy Again (Assessment)” report.

Diet has shifted to ultra-processed foods

The U.S. food system is “safe, but could be healthier,” per the report. It notes that most kids are eating a lot of ultra-processed food, which tend to have extra added sugars, chemical additives and saturated fats….

Children need more fruits and vegetables and other whole foods, per the commission, which said that government programs have compounded the issue.

The shift to a diet based largely on ultra-processed foods means children consume more calories, but get fewer nutrients, while consuming “harmful additives.” …

Among the health challenges for children is a big increase in the number who have diabetes, as well as … “pre-diabetic.”

Exposure to environmental chemicals

The sheer volume of exposures to environmental chemicals has been linked to both developmental issues and chronic illness, per the report. It adds that “pesticides, microplastics and dioxins are commonly found in the blood and urine of American children and pregnant women – some at alarming levels.” …

Too little activity, too much stress

“American children are experiencing unprecedented levels of inactivity, screen use, sleep deprivation and chronic stress,” the commissioners wrote.

Screens – from TVs to cell phones to computers to video games – get much of the blame for the fact that children are more sedentary than in previous generations. And that can contribute to loneliness, chronic stress and too little sleep, per the authors….

Overprescribed and unable to thrive

The report calls the trend of overprescribing medication for children, “often driven by conflicts of interest in medical research, regulation and practice,” cause for concern that leads to treatments that are not needed and long-term health risks.

Aggressively treating increases in childhood chronic disease with prescription drugs may, in the commission’s view, “cause further harm to the health of American children when used inappropriately.” …

Use of prescription antidepressants increased even more for teens, rising 1400% from the late 1980s to 2014, though psychotherapy had been shown to be more effective short term and potentially long term.

The report also notes that the rise in use of antipsychotic medication in children was substantial, but the prescriptions were not even written for conditions the FDA had approved their use … for children.

Antibiotics were also overprescribed for children and infants and could lead to long-term problems like asthma, allergic rhinitis, obesity and other conditions, per the report.

The report also notes the need to balance benefits and risks of vaccines and to allow parents more say in whether children receive certain vaccines, as well as more testing of vaccines against placebo in rigorous clinical trials….

Communities, states, and nations are only as strong as the individuals and families residing in them. One way to strengthen communities, states, and nations is to have healthy children, individuals, and families.