"Make America Healthy Again" Is Critical To Our Future And Begins By Tackling Obesity

On May 22, President Trump joined Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for the release of the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) commission report and the findings were a bombshell. Highlighting those findings, Trump said in part "More than 40% of American children now have at least one chronic health condition, since the 1970s, rates of childhood cancer have soared, in many cases, by nearly 50%. ... In the 1960s, less than 5% of the children were obese, now over 20% are obese. ... Think of this one, this is the one that gets me every time, and it seems to be getting worse — just a few decades ago, one in 10,000 children had autism. Today it's 1 in 31." (CBS News, May 22, 2025)

For the sake of our children and the danger to national security, we must prioritize fighting the obesity epidemic

According to the report, “the potential drivers of the rise in childhood chronic disease that present the clearest opportunities for progress” are “poor diet, driven primarily by ultra-processed foods. Cumulative exposure to chemicals like food additives and pesticides. Lack of physical activity and chronic stress” and "Overmedicalization". This comes after a stern warning about the national security implications of declining health among minors from two years ago. According to Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and Retired Admiral Frank Ponds the “Department of Defense’s most recent figures show that an astonishing 77 percent of Americans of prime recruiting age would be ineligible for military service. This is a massive increase. Over three-quarters of American young people are ineligible due to some combination of factors, chief among them obesity.” (The Hill, Dec. 14, 2022)

For the sake of our children and the danger to national security, we must prioritize fighting the obesity epidemic.

First, the obesity problem is dire. America has the highest obesity rates in the world, with one out of every six children considered obese. By contrast, in the 1970s only one out of twenty, aged 2-19, were obese. Obesity is catastrophic to the health of children, harming the heart, lungs, muscles, kidneys, bones, digestion, and the hormones controlling blood sugar and puberty. Obese children are far more likely to remain overweight or obese throughout their lives with the increasing health danger that brings. Particularly concerning to national defense, around 19% of boys are obese versus 15% of girls yet boys are expected to remain the greatest recruitment potentials. (Harvard--Obesity Prevention Source)

Additionally, the substantially higher rate of obesity in boys causes a unique harm, as testosterone levels plummet due to obesity in boys and men. (National Library Of Medicine--Lowered testosterone in male obesity)

The childhood obesity epidemic is primarily the result of lifestyle changes our society has allowed over the past few decades

The reduced testosterone brings not only a reduced sperm count, but fatigue, lower muscle/bone growth and a host of disorders. Most detrimental is that lower testosterone brings further weight gain by reduces metabolism and muscle growth. (Google Search -- Low testosterone symptoms in men)

The childhood obesity epidemic is primarily the result of lifestyle changes our society has allowed over the past few decades. Mandatory physical education classes from Kindergarten through 12^th grade had been the norm and standard in schools from the middle of the 20^th century up through the 1990s. Unfortunately, that requirement went by the wayside starting in the 1990s and, by “2016, only 21.6 percent of children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 met the recommended 60 or more minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity at least five times a week, according to the CDC.” https://www.wpr.org/schools-cut-back-physical-education-childhood-obesity-remains-high

The number of children involved in sports during childhood years has decreased significantly, as have the numbers of children involved in free play. Children generally spend their time behind a computer screen outside of class.

In addition to the decreased activity, the MAHA Commission report notes the poor diet of most children today leads towards obesity. Beyond the lack of activity and bad food, a negative trend over the past few decades has been the plummeting number of children eating meals with a family. Studies are clear that children who eat together under the supervision of parents at mealtime are substantially more likely to eat healthier food and show substantially fewer incidents of eating disorders leading to obesity. (Child Trends, April, 7, 2016)

“Diet Culture Rooted in Racism, White Supremacy, and Colonialism”

A challenge to MAHAs efforts is a progressive agenda seeking to normalize obesity and prevent encouragement of exercise and dieting. One headline “Diet Culture Rooted in Racism, White Supremacy, and Colonialism” (Within Health, April 27, 2023) gives evidence to the detrimental aim of progressivism in this regard. The agenda pushes obese models for swimsuits and lingerie, and attempt to “cancel” those fighting obesity. Progressives have attempted to mainstream the terms “sizeism” “weightism” and “size discrimination” against those encouraging exercise and dieting to come to a healthy weight. A number of magazines have also joined the effort to normalize obesity, diminishing the warnings of the health risks and societal problems. MAHA must get past the woke mob in the kind of tough love many children need for a healthy long life

Proverbs 23:21 warns us that “gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags”. Obesity is not only unhealthy, but dangerous to the lives of our children and the nation. The MAHA report warns of other child health concerns, like exposure to chemicals and overmedicalization. We should tackle those problems, but we must start now by emphasizing our children need to get off their computer screens and get out and exercise. For themselves and for the future of our great nation.

Col. Bill Connor——Bio and Archives – Col. Bill Connor is a retired U.S. Army Infantry officer, attorney, and founding partner of NATIONAL DEFENSE CONSULTANTS, LLC. While in the Army, Connor logged multiple deployments to the Middle East, and he has commanded both light Infantry and Ranger training companies. From 2007 through 2008 he was deployed to Afghanistan where he became the senior U.S. military adviser in Helmand Province. Since the start of the October 2023 war in Israel, he has provided analysis to NEWSMAX.