'Make America Healthy Again' report cites nonexistent studies: authors
The highly anticipated "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) report was released May 22 by the presidential commission tasked with assessing drivers of childhood chronic disease.
But it includes broken citation links and credits authors with papers they say they did not write.
The errors were first reported Thursday by NOTUS, a US digital news website affiliated with the nonprofit Allbritton Journalism Institute.
Noah Kreski, a Columbia University researcher listed as an author of a paper on adolescent anxiety and depression during the Covid-19 pandemic, told AFP the citation is "not one of our studies" and "doesn't appear to be a study that exists at all."
The citation includes a link that purports to send users to an article in peer-reviewed medical journal JAMA, but which is broken. Jim Michalski of JAMA Network Media Relations said it "was not published in JAMA Pediatrics or in any JAMA Network journal."
AFP also spoke with Harold Farber, pediatrics professor at Baylor College of Medicine, who said the paper attributed to him "does not exist" nor had he ever collaborated with the co-authors credited in the MAHA report.
Similarly, Brian McNeill, spokesperson for Virginia Commonwealth University, confirmed that professor Robert Findling did not author a paper the report says he wrote about advertising of psychotropic medications for youth.
A fourth paper on ADHD medication, was also not published in the journal Pediatrics in 2008 as claimed in the MAHA report.
"I can confirm that we didn't find that title in a site search," said Alex Hulvalchick, media relations specialist for the journal's publisher the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The Department of Health and Human Services declined to comment, referring questions on the apparent errors to the White House.
Kennedy was approved as health secretary earlier this year despite widespread alarm from the medical community over his history of promoting vaccine misinformation and denying scientific facts.
Since taking office, he has ordered the National Institutes of Health to probe the causes of autism -- a condition he has long falsely tied to the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
The report's chronic disease references appear to nod to that same disproven theory, discredited by numerous studies since the idea first aired in a late 1990s paper based on falsified data.
It also rails against the "over-medicalization" of children, citing surging prescriptions of psychiatric drugs and antibiotics, and blaming "corporate capture" for skewing scientific research.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
Canada infant born with measles from unvaccinated mother dies
Canada has recorded 2,755 measles cases -- including 2,429 confirmed and 326 probable -- according to federal health data updated on June 2. The epicenter of the outbreak is the province of Ontario, where nearly 2,000 cases have been reported. Ontario's chief medical officer of health, Kieran Moore, said in a statement "the infant contracted the virus before birth from their mother, who had not received the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine." "While measles may have been a contributing factor in both the premature birth and death, the infant also faced other serious medical complications unrelated to the virus," he added. In March, Moore said the outbreak was "disproportionately affecting some Mennonite, Amish, and other Anabaptist communities," partly due to lower rates of vaccination among those populations. If measles is confirmed as the cause of the infant's death, it would mark the first fatality linked to the current outbreak. After Ontario, the next hardest hit area is the western province of Alberta, with 632 confirmed cases, according to the federal data. Measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus spread through droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes or simply breathes. Known for its characteristic rash, it poses a serious risk to unvaccinated individuals, including infants under 12 months who are not ordinarily eligible for vaccination, and those with weakened immune systems. It can lead to severe complications, including pneumonia, brain swelling, premature birth and in rare cases, death. Hundreds died each year from the virus in Canada before widespread immunization programs were introduced in the early 1970s. It was considered eradicated in 1998 but cases continue to occur due to spread from other countries. The United States is also confronting a significant measles resurgence, with a vaccine-skeptical Mennonite Christian community straddling the Texas–New Mexico border hit particularly hard. President Donald Trump's Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has undermined confidence in the (MMR) vaccine -- a highly effective shot he has falsely claimed is dangerous and contains fetal debris.
France 24
3 days ago
- France 24
Albania town where everything's coming up roses
"Here everything revolves around roses, from cooking with them to their medicinal virtues" -- everything is seen through rose-tinted glasses, joked biology teacher Ariana Nikolla. Since she was little, the 57-year-old has been delicately picking the petals of her favourite variety, "the Groom's Rose", named for its delicate scent. In Permet roses are a ritual -- the first gift to a would-be lover. And they have to be pink, symbolising love and fidelity. Every family cultivates dozens of rose varieties in their garden, including the highly perfumed Damask and Provence roses, making the town famous across the Balkans for its artisanal rose water. Yet it is almost impossible to buy -- it is just too valuable, say locals, who gift a few drops from time to time and jealously guard their reserves. 'Rose water is like love' "Rose water is like love, it must be carefully tended," said veteran maker Resmie Tuci. "The process of making high-quality rose water is difficult and meticulous. It requires very particular copper containers and you also have to use the right roses and select the ones with the most fragrant petals," said the 70-year-old. The traditional method, passed from one generation to the next, is listed in Albania's national inventory of intangible cultural heritage. First you stretch a cloth over a copper bowl laced with thread, itself placed inside a large, flat-bottomed basin filled with water. Then the hand-picked rose petals are carefully placed on the cloth and covered with a flat stone topped with hot ashes from a fire. The petals sweat underneath and yield up their precious rose water through condensation. "It's a process that takes hours," Tuci told AFP. "But every drop is precious," chimes in Nikolla, filling a small bottle with rose water, which she will put in a sunny spot for several weeks before it is ready. "It's as precious as gold," she added. - Sweet delights - Locals use it for its supposed benefits, from soothing irritated eyes to an anti-inflammatory cream to help calm itching. And, of course, in cooking. Eftali Qerimi, 63, swears by it. The almond rose water cakes she bakes in her workshop are unlike any other local "llokums". Made with only almond powder, sugar and rosewater, the rose-shaped fancies mark important events for families in the region. Considered lucky charms, they are served at birthdays, weddings and baby showers. With the women in her workshop, Qerimi produces up to 10 kilos of Turkish delights a day, which she sells at 50 euros a kilo. Occasionally she makes small ones shaped like baby feet -- a way, according to tradition, to wish newborns a long life. Between batches, the women make rose petal jam, its fragrance filling the workshop. "The rose is everything for us; it symbolises the heart, love and life's happiness," said Qerimi, who is hard at work with the tourism high season about to begin. "Tourists flock to the town and after the natural beauties" of the valley, with its famous gorges and natural park, "they also want to taste its culinary delights", she smiled.
Euronews
3 days ago
- Euronews
Is ADHD skyrocketing among young people? Experts think not
Health experts and parents have been raising the alarm about a surge in ADHD cases, particularly among young people – but the increase appears to have tapered off in recent years. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental disorders, affecting an estimated 8 per cent of children and teenagers. Worldwide, around 366 million adults have ADHD, with symptoms including trouble focusing, restlessness, and impulsivity. But a new analysis, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, suggests the apparent recent uptick in ADHD cases may be more due to recognition than reality. It looked at 40 studies on ADHD from 2020 onward. While there were major gaps in data, the highest-quality studies found no significant increase in the overall prevalence of ADHD in that time. They also found no meaningful increase in new diagnoses from 2020 to 2024, though they have been trending upward in recent decades. Researchers also noted that a growing number of people are getting tested and seeking support for ADHD. 'Our best evidence suggests the true rate of ADHD isn't increasing that much,' Philip Shaw, director of the King's Maudsley Partnership for Children and Young People, told journalists. 'My hunch is there's such a huge awareness of ADHD that it's often used as… the way young people express they are struggling at school and need help,' added Shaw, who was not involved with the new study. Researchers said the longer-term increase in ADHD cases is likely due to some combination of 'catch-up' diagnoses among people whose conditions were not detected when they were young, as well as changes to how ADHD is diagnosed, pandemic-era disruptions, social media, and other unknown reasons. Some have proposed that constant stimulation from social media and mobile phones – which has earned young people the title of the 'distracted generation' – could be driving an increase in ADHD. A 2023 study, for example, found a link between ADHD symptoms and excessive social media use, smartphone dependence, and internet addiction. But not all attention problems are ADHD, and 'it's too early to say what's causing what here,' Shaw said. 'We don't know what's the chicken and what's the egg'. Researchers said more studies are needed to confirm whether more people are actually developing ADHD than in the past, or if they are simply more likely to be diagnosed. 'We should be looking at these questions… and I think that is what's happening,' Shaw said. A growing number of people are turning to chatbots such as ChatGPT for support with their personal problems. According to a Harvard report, the demand for AI tools in 2025 suggests a paradigm shift. Previously, these tools were primarily used for technical purposes; however, as they have become more widely adopted, emotional support and personal development have garnered increased attention. Rita Marcelino, an IT consultant, and João Aranha, a business development representative, are two young people who turn to ChatGPT for help when they face difficult situations. Marcelino says she uses it "to combat some nervousness or to help me gain confidence before important moments such as a job interview, a presentation or even to structure thoughts when I feel more indecisive". Aranha explains that the chatbot's "immediate" availability is an advantage, as using it doesn't require "an appointment". "Like so many people of my generation, when I have a problem I want to solve it on the spot," he adds. Asked about the possibility of AI tools replacing psychotherapy, clinical psychologist Ana Rita Oliveira admits that chatbots can, in certain contexts, provide some kind of support in gathering information about managing emotions. She notes, however, that "therapeutic techniques and strategies are accessible to everyone, they're just a click away, but in psychotherapy, change is based on the relationship between the patient and the psychologist". Although Marcelino and Aranha use ChatGPT to deal with some challenges, they both also have therapy sessions with a certified psychologist, and describe the two experiences as "completely different". Aranha believes that the main difference is control, arguing that he is better able to control the "session" held with the chatbots. "The outcome of the conversation with ChatGPT always depends on our input, i.e. we're talking to someone who says and does what we want. A psychologist, on the other hand, has the ability to turn us round, cut off our train of thought and divert our attention whenever they want," he says. The increasing use of AI tools has led users, particularly young people, to self-diagnose. Online self-diagnosis is not new. However, chatbots allow people to ask questions about symptoms, illnesses and treatments, with personalised answers given in seconds. Oliveira, the psychologist, says some of her patients have arrived at their psychotherapy sessions convinced of their diagnosis, following online research they had done themselves. "We have to know how to filter what we read. Reaching a diagnosis involves much more than a process of checking symptoms. It involves assessing various dimensions of the individual and this may require human contact," she says. Oliveira is sceptical of the role that AI can play in therapy, saying that the use of such tools "exclusively harms the therapeutic process for patients" and "can lead to the work of psychologists being discredited". "I question whether this need for emotional support will ever be met purely through AI. If we have this need, it's because we feel this lack in the relationships we establish in our lives," she says.
