The implications of the Make Our Children Healthy Again report for child health and obesity in the US

Abstract

Federal funding policies should align with priorities to improve child health, say Juliana Cohen and colleagues On 9 September 2025, the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission released a strategy report on child health, Make Our Children Healthy Again .1 The commission organised its recommendations around four root causes of poor health among children in the US: poor diet, exposure to environmental chemicals, lack of physical activity and chronic stress, and overmedicalisation. Although reactions among US public health and medical leaders have been mixed—with particular concern about the government’s approach to vaccines—there is potential to find common ground and bipartisan support for many of the commission’s recommendations on nutrition.23 To improve children’s diets and reduce their risk of obesity, federal funding decisions must also be coordinated with an evidence based approach to developing policies and supporting programmes. The original MAHA report (published in May 2025) explicitly recommended that Americans reduce their consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs).4 This recommendation marked a notable shift away from the traditional nutrient based system of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) that categorises foods into groups and …