() Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” strategy report is expected to land on President Donald Trump’s desk Tuesday, but the White House said its public release will be delayed.
Supporters of the MAHA movement, including advocates for children’s health, have anticipated the release of the report, which is expected to examine what many see as the root causes behind rising chronic illness in America.
In May, Kennedy presented Trump with an assessment citing four primary factors driving childhood health issues: poor diets, environmental toxins, insufficient physical activity, chronic stress and over-medicalization.
While the report was set to be released publicly Tuesday, the White House said scheduling issues have caused a delay.
“The MAHA Commission is on track to submit its Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy Report to the President on Aug. 12,” the White House told . “The report will be unveiled to the public shortly thereafter, as we coordinate the schedules of the President and the various Cabinet members who are a part of the Commission.”
Nutritionist Helene Leeds, a MAHA supporter, said the movement transcends politics. “It’s about our health and our children’s health,” she said.
“For people who automatically just want to dislike this because they dislike the political party or the people, I would just implore everyone that the ‘Make America Healthy Again’ movement is not a political movement. It’s a movement about our health and our children’s health,” she said.
Leeds said her daughter, Penelope Popken, weighed 320 pounds at 15 years old and was warned she faced a slow decline without major lifestyle changes. That wake-up call led the pair to push for changes regarding children’s health.
“I think in school, we need to teach children how to cook. We need to be exercising more, spending less time sitting in our chairs,” Popken said. “In school, I just remember sitting in a chair all day, and like, how is this human? How is this normal? This doesn’t feel normal.”
Leeds and Popken co-founded the groups MAHA Girls and Step It Up to promote healthier lifestyle changes.
Leeds said chronic disease prevention must begin with children.
“If we’re going to move the needle with reversing chronic disease, it should be with the children,” Leeds said. “Unfortunately, we’re in a time where the food system is not safe any longer, and the results were seen in the health outcomes of our American public. It’s alarming, and we have to take action to change things.”
