MAHA Promised Healthier Kids. But School Lunches May Deliver Less. + More
Source: Children’s Health Defense
MAHA Promised Healthier Kids. But School Lunches May Deliver Less.
The rise of Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) arrived with big promises for kids: an end to chronic disease, a focus on nutrition and healthier school meals. For school food professionals and public health advocates, it seemed like an unexpected win that could benefit the millions of children who rely on federal school meals, often the most nutritious — and sometimes the only reliable — food they receive all day.
That push to improve children’s health from a Republican administration was all the more surprising, considering the political attacks Michelle Obama endured when she campaigned to improve school nutrition. But those hopes are colliding with reality. Despite MAHA’s rhetoric, the Trump administration has cut programs supporting children’s health and school nutrition.
In March, the U.S. Department of Agriculture abruptly canceled the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement and Local Food for Schools programs, which together provided more than $1 billion to help schools and food banks buy produce, meat and dairy from local farms and ranches.
Junk Food Leads to More Children Being Obese Than Underweight for First Time
More children around the world are obese than underweight for the first time, according to a United Nation’s (UN) report that warns ultra-processed junk food is overwhelming childhood diets. There are 188 million teenagers and school-age children with obesity — one in 10 — Unicef said, affecting health and development and bringing a risk of life-threatening diseases.
Catherine Russell, executive director of the UN agency for children, said: “When we talk about malnutrition, we are no longer just talking about underweight children. “Obesity is a growing concern. Ultra-processed food is increasingly replacing fruits, vegetables and protein at a time when nutrition plays a critical role in children’s growth, cognitive development and mental health.”
While 9.2% of five to 19-year-olds worldwide are underweight, 9.4% are considered obese, the report found. In 2000, nearly 13% were underweight and just 3% were obese.
Whole Milk Makes a Comeback in New MAHA Children’s Health Strategy
The Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission indicated that, after more than a decade of restrictions on whole milk in schools, the federal government is planning to drop them.
The decision to drop the restrictions on whole milk sales in schools was announced as part of the MAHA commission’s Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy, a sweeping plan with over 120 initiatives released Tuesday. The initiatives cover a wide range of topics, from toxic food dyes, to nutrient requirements, to misleading health advertisements. Updated recommendations regarding fluoride and PFAS chemicals in water and a new definition for “ultra-processed food” were among the planned initiatives as well.
“The Trump administration is mobilizing every part of government to confront the childhood chronic disease epidemic,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Tuesday. “This strategy represents the most sweeping reform agenda in modern history — realigning our food and health systems, driving education, and unleashing science to protect America’s children and families. We are ending the corporate capture of public health, restoring transparency, and putting gold-standard science — not special interests — at the center of every decision.”
The Age Experts Warn Smartphones Start to Harm Kids’ Mental Health
Getting a smartphone before the age of 13 may have lasting consequences for mental health, according to a new study that analyzed data from more than 100,000 young people worldwide. The research, published in the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, found that early smartphone ownership was linked to higher risks of suicidal thoughts, aggression, detachment from reality, low self-worth and difficulty regulating emotions in early adulthood.
The study revealed that 18–24-year-olds who received their first smartphone at age 12 or younger were significantly more likely to report serious mental health struggles. The younger the age of first ownership, the worse the outcomes.
obesFor example, young adults who got a smartphone at age 13 scored an average of 30 on the Mind Health Quotient (MHQ), a global assessment of social, emotional and cognitive wellbeing. For those who owned a smartphone at age five, the score plummeted to one.
An Epidemic of Childhood Nearsightedness Is Looming
Myopia, or nearsightedness, is an increasingly common eye condition that causes distant objects to appear blurry, often requiring corrective lenses. As the medical director of ophthalmology at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (now Rady Children’s Hospital Orange County, or RCHOC), I have seen the condition surge among children in the last decade.
In clinic on a recent day, I saw about 40 patients — and nearly half were evaluated for myopia. Myopia has been steadily rising for years, but since the COVID-19 pandemic, with increased screen time and reduced outdoor activity, we’ve seen an alarming acceleration in diagnoses.
The National Institutes of Health projects that by 2050, nearly half the global population will be nearsighted.
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