A big part of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement launched by Health and Human Services Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is addressing what he calls the "chronic childhood illness epidemic." Now comes even more evidence that our children are getting less healthy. A recent study from a UN agency finds the number of obese children worldwide has now surpassed the number of underweight children for the first time ever. In fact, it shows the obesity rate for children aged 5 to 19 has tripled in the past two decades, from 3% to just over 9%.
These findings are alarming, but not surprising, according to KTRH's Dr. Joe Galati. "Kids are chronically ill, they're overweight, they're developing diabetes and hypertension and fatty liver," he says. "So this is a tsunami that we were all expecting 10 to 15 years ago."
While nutrition and processed foods are a big part of the problem, Dr. Galati also points to lifestyle. "Kids of today are not exercising, they're sedentary, they're staying at home," he says. "We used to play outside...now kids are having fun by themselves in their bedroom, locked up, on a screen, 'playing with their friends' who may be just across the street."
RFK Jr. has pledged to set new child health guidelines and reduce access to junk foods in schools, among other initiatives. But Galati warns parents can't rely on the government to fix this. "What's important is are parents taking the time to provide meals that are not processed, high in fiber, and free of any additives," he says. "Parents and family members cannot shirk the responsibility, because if you do you're basically setting up your kids for failure with bad health."