Trump administration report on US child health cited nonexistent studies
A U.S. government report on the health of American children cited scientific studies that did not exist to support its conclusions, according to a media report and some of the purported study authors on Thursday.
The report produced by the Make America Healthy Again Commission, named after a movement aligned with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, was released last week.
It said processed food, chemicals, stress and overprescription of medications and vaccines may be factors behind chronic illness in American children, citing some 500 research studies as evidence.
Digital news outlet NOTUS reported the citation errors, saying on Thursday it found seven studies listed in the report's footnotes that did not exist, along with broken links and misstated conclusions.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters that any citation errors were due to "formatting issues." The government said it posted a corrected version of the report later on Thursday.
"The substance of the MAHA report remains the same — a historic and transformative assessment by the federal government to understand the chronic disease epidemic afflicting our nation's children," the Department of Health and Human Services said.
Katherine Keyes, an epidemiology professor at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, was cited in the report as the author of "Changes in mental health and substance use among US adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic," which the report said was published in the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics.
She said that neither she nor the named co-authors of the paper had written it. "It does make me concerned given that citation practices are an important part of conducting and reporting rigorous science," she said.
Psychiatry Professor Robert L. Findling did not author the article cited in the report as "Direct-to-consumer advertising of psychotropic medications for youth: A growing concern" in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, according to a spokesperson for Virginia Commonwealth University, where Findling is a professor.
Kennedy has spent decades sowing doubt about the safety of vaccines, raising concerns within the scientific and medical communities over the policies he would pursue as health secretary. Since taking the role, he has fired thousands of workers at federal health agencies and cut billions of dollars from U.S. biomedical research spending.
The studies attributed to Findling and Keyes no longer appeared in the MAHA report on the White House website as of Thursday evening. — Reuters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
GMA Network
4 days ago
- GMA Network
Trump administration report on US child health cited nonexistent studies
A U.S. government report on the health of American children cited scientific studies that did not exist to support its conclusions, according to a media report and some of the purported study authors on Thursday. The report produced by the Make America Healthy Again Commission, named after a movement aligned with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, was released last week. It said processed food, chemicals, stress and overprescription of medications and vaccines may be factors behind chronic illness in American children, citing some 500 research studies as evidence. Digital news outlet NOTUS reported the citation errors, saying on Thursday it found seven studies listed in the report's footnotes that did not exist, along with broken links and misstated conclusions. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters that any citation errors were due to "formatting issues." The government said it posted a corrected version of the report later on Thursday. "The substance of the MAHA report remains the same — a historic and transformative assessment by the federal government to understand the chronic disease epidemic afflicting our nation's children," the Department of Health and Human Services said. Katherine Keyes, an epidemiology professor at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, was cited in the report as the author of "Changes in mental health and substance use among US adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic," which the report said was published in the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics. She said that neither she nor the named co-authors of the paper had written it. "It does make me concerned given that citation practices are an important part of conducting and reporting rigorous science," she said. Psychiatry Professor Robert L. Findling did not author the article cited in the report as "Direct-to-consumer advertising of psychotropic medications for youth: A growing concern" in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, according to a spokesperson for Virginia Commonwealth University, where Findling is a professor. Kennedy has spent decades sowing doubt about the safety of vaccines, raising concerns within the scientific and medical communities over the policies he would pursue as health secretary. Since taking the role, he has fired thousands of workers at federal health agencies and cut billions of dollars from U.S. biomedical research spending. The studies attributed to Findling and Keyes no longer appeared in the MAHA report on the White House website as of Thursday evening. — Reuters
GMA Network
20-05-2025
- GMA Network
Biden had not received prostate cancer screening since 2014, spokesperson says
WASHINGTON - Former US President Joe Biden had not received a test for prostate cancer, known as a PSA, for more than a decade before he was diagnosed with an advanced form of the disease last week, a spokesperson said on Tuesday. The latest comments from the former Democratic president's camp come amid questions from Republicans and some health professionals about why his cancer was not caught before reaching an advanced stage. Biden, 82, has also faced broader questions about whether he and his allies withheld critical information from the American public about his ability to serve in the White House. A new book, "Original Sin," details widespread concerns about Biden's mental acuity among aides as he pursued reelection last year. "President Biden's last known PSA was in 2014," the Biden spokesperson said on Tuesday. "Prior to Friday, President Biden had never been diagnosed with prostate cancer." A PSA test, or prostate-specific antigen test, is a blood test that is used to screen for prostate cancer. Some health professionals consulted by Reuters had expressed surprise at the diagnosis given that most prostate cancers are detected at an earlier stage and that presidents undergo thorough health monitoring. Still, others said it is not unusual to discontinue testing for prostate cancer in older patients because the test is less reliable in that age group. Prostate cancer has a much higher survival rate than most other cancers. In 2012, the US Preventive Services Task Force recommended against PSA-based screening for prostate cancer in men of all ages. The task force reversed the recommendation in 2017, advising against the screening for men older than 70. Biden, who ultimately abandoned his reelection bid and left office in January, was in his early 70s at the time of his 2014 screening. "It is very reasonable to discontinue PSA screening at age 72, regardless of health status, or significantly decrease the frequency of screening," said Dr. Scott Eggener, a urologic cancer specialist and professor of surgery at the University of Chicago. Biden's office said he had been diagnosed on Friday with "aggressive" prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. Cancers that have spread, or metastasized, are considered stage 4, the most advanced. US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance are among the Republicans who have offered well-wishes to Biden while also raising questions about the timing and nature of his cancer diagnosis. Trump received a PSA test as part of his latest annual physical exam, according to results released in April. —Reuters
GMA Network
20-05-2025
- GMA Network
Landmark global pandemic agreement adopted by WHO members
A minor is inoculated against COVID-19 in Taguig City on November 2, 2021. DANNY PATA GENEVA — Members of the World Health Organization adopted a landmark agreement on Tuesday on how to prepare for future pandemics following the COVID-19 outbreak, which killed millions of people between the years of 2020 and 2022. After three years of negotiations, the legally binding pact was adopted by the World Health Assembly in Geneva. WHO member countries welcomed its passing with applause. The pact is widely seen as a victory for members of the global health agency at a time when multilateral organizations like the WHO have been battered by sharp cuts in US foreign funding. "The agreement is a victory for public health, science and multilateral action. It will ensure we, collectively, can better protect the world from future pandemic threats," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The treaty faced a late challenge on Monday when Slovakia called for a vote, as its COVID-19 vaccine-skeptic prime minister demanded that his country challenge the adoption of the agreement. One hundred and twenty-four countries voted in favor, no countries voted against, while 11 countries, including Poland, Israel, Italy, Russia, Slovakia and Iran, abstained. — Reuters
