Presidential Message on Child Health Day

This Child Health Day, we renew our commitment to ensure the health and well-being of America's children - our Nation's future - so that they may live full, lasting, and happy lives free from the burden of health concerns.

As our children grow, we must protect their health and give them every opportunity to thrive. American children now face chronic health conditions and serious medical issues at rates far higher than in previous generations. With little explanation, we have witnessed sharp rises in the prevalence of obesity, diabetes, severe allergies, autism, autoimmune diseases, and mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression in our Nation's youth. As President, I have a solemn duty to safeguard the health of the coming generation, and I will not rest until these conditions are understood and defeated and every child in America can grow up strong and whole.

For this reason, my Administration is confronting the chronic health crisis plaguing our Nation's most vulnerable citizens by reversing the failed policies that have fueled America's childhood disease epidemic and ensuring parents are informed with the Gold Standard Science to make the decisions for their children. Through the Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy-an initiative launched by the Make America Healthy Again Commission-we have taken over 120 specific actions to halt the rise in childhood chronic diseases and discover the root causes of serious medical conditions by improving preventative care, getting artificial dyes out of our food, accelerating breakthroughs and cures, and encouraging physical activity and limited screen time for children.

While more work remains to fully reverse these concerning trends, in just the first year of my Administration, we experienced the lowest death rate in recorded in our country's history. Our Nation's future relies upon the health and leadership of the next generation, which is why I remain committed to ensuring that Americans and their children receive the best medical advice to keep them healthy and the best care in the world if they do get sick. Under my leadership, we are delivering a healthcare system that restores trust and truly puts the health of children and families first, and together, we will make American children healthy again for generations to come.