Within his first month back in the White House, President Trump established the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative. In the related Executive Order, he required the MAHA commission to submit a Make Our Children Healthy Again Assessment to the President detailing the scope of the childhood chronic disease crisis. The MAHA commission has now released their findings, and fortunately, it affirms the irreplicable role of family in God’s design for children. The childhood sickness epidemic is further proof that a decline in strong families takes a toll on America’s rising generations.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 40% of children in the United States suffer from at least one chronic illness (such as an autoimmune disease, behavioral disorder, or asthma). The crisis does not just affect citizens personal lives but poses an unignorable threat to our country’s dominance from within — for example, only 23% of American youth are eligible for military service because of the prevalence of disqualifying levels of obesity, poor physical fitness, and/or mental health challenges.
Childhood obesity alone has increase 270% since the 1970s, and severe obesity has risen over 500%. Studies have estimated a 600% increase in type 2 diabetes by 2060, according to current trends. America has also witnessed an undeniable mental health crisis, particularly affecting children and teenagers. More than 1 in 4 teen girls report a major depressive episode in the last year, and suicide has become the second leading cause of death in teens 15-19.
Society feels it — this is crisis. The White House wants answers.
While the report cites several drivers for an array of diseases, including ultra-processed foods and environmental chemicals, it also contributes societal aspects of a child’s upbringing to their health/wellbeing, such as the strength of their family.
The report cites a systematic review finding “family meal” frequency is positively correlated to improved mental and physical health of the children. Parents can utilize family meals to promote “cohesion, stability, and connectedness, and for enhancing adolescent developmental assets.” It also provides an opportunity to model healthy food behavior that combats eating disorders.
The report notes family meals are also associated with lower rates of alcohol and substance abuse, violent behavior, and feelings of depression or thoughts of suicide in adolescents.
Additionally, single-parent homes are associated with double the rates of internalizing disorders (such as depression) and triple the rates of externalizing disorders (such as Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It follows, “The single-family home rate in the U.S. has increased from 9% in 1960 to 28% in 2012.”
Children need their parents to model strong relationships and healthy living. This should come as no surprise to the believer. God uses the family unit to raise up generations with specific commands to “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). God even charges the family to teach the Law in Israel, so that the generations might know them and set their hope in God (Psalm 78). God entrusted families to spread His Word, primarily through the oversight and teaching of the parents. Why should we be surprised; similar values are profitable in other areas of life, such as healthy living?
The report also raises concerns about children’s health regarding parental rights. It notes as parents direct their family’s health decisions, they may experience major tech companies content-controlling what related information their child sees online. There is also a lack of parental oversight in children forfeiting personal data online.
As the family unit continues to face attacks, children lack the parental direction under which they were created to grow. Concerned Women for America (CWA) continues to hold that children are best served under the care and guidance of their loving parents, and if we strive for a healthy society, we must first focus on promoting strong families.