A US government report on children’s health has come under scrutiny for citing “totally fabricated” studies to support its findings. The report, released on May 22, detailed the causes of a “chronic disease crisis” among children in the US. However, academics listed as authors of the studies have denied writing them, stating that the studies never existed.
The report, issued by the Make America Healthy Again Commission, concluded that poor diet, environmental toxins, stress, insufficient physical activity, and “overmedicalisation” may contribute to chronic illness among American children. US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has promoted debunked claims that vaccines cause autism, leads the department behind the report.
Guohua Li, a Columbia University professor, and Noah Kreski, a researcher at Columbia University, were listed as authors of a report on the mental health of children during the pandemic. However, Li described the reference as “totally fabricated,” stating that he doesn’t know the listed co-author. Kreski also denied writing the study, saying it “doesn’t appear to be a study that exists at all”. Katherine Keyes, an epidemiology professor, expressed concern about the citation practices, saying, “It does make me concerned given that citation practices are an important part of conducting and reporting rigorous science”.
The Democratic National Committee accused RFK Jr.’s Department of Health and Human Services of “justifying its policy priorities with sources that do not exist” and using citations with errors. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt attributed the issue to “formatting issues,” stating that the report would be updated but emphasizing that it doesn’t “negate the substance of the report”.
RFK Jr. was sworn in as US Health Secretary in February and has since cut thousands of jobs in the health department, with plans to introduce placebo trials for new vaccines. The report’s findings and methodology have sparked controversy, raising questions about the rigor and credibility of the research.