内容摘要：was aimed at cutting kids’ consumption of saturated fat and calories, which can increase the risk of heart disease and obesity.

was aimed at cutting kids’ consumption of saturated fat and calories, which can increase the risk of heart disease and obesity.

has made sweeping changes to the Department of Health and Human Services — and its priorities., met with state governors who want to restrict unhealthy foods in taxpayer-funded programs and delivered an inconsistent message on vaccines as measles outbreaks across the country have sickened hundreds. Last week, he promised to find some of the causes of rising U.S.

in under six months’ time.Kennedy’s followers — a contingent of health-conscious moms, Republicans loyal to President Donald Trump and others — have celebrated his “Make America Healthy Again” initiatives. But scientists and public health experts have expressed dismay over some of Kennedy’s statements about Americans’ diets,. Here’s a look at some of those claims Kennedy has made, with additional context and facts.

KENNEDY, at a news conference Wednesday: Studies show that autism rates in the U.S. were “1 in 10,000 when I was a kid” compared to a recent U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study that found it to be 1 in 31. He says that is evidence of an autism epidemic in the U.S. and that, “we know it’s an environmental exposure. It has to be.”THE FACTS: It’s true that in the 20th century, only 1 in 10,000 children were diagnosed with autism —- the diagnosis was rare and given only to kids with severe problems communicating or socializing and those with unusual, repetitive behaviors. But the term became shorthand for a group of milder, related conditions known as ″autism spectrum disorders,” and the number of kids labeled as having some form of autism began to balloon.

The term “epidemic” is widely used to describe surges in different health problems — like autism, obesity and gun violence, to name a few. But strictly speaking, “epidemic” is defined as a fast-spreading outbreak of disease, and there’s not good evidence that autism meets that definition.

Health officials have largely attributed growing autism numbers to better recognition of cases, through wide screening and better diagnosis. Last week, the CDC saidprovided visual support.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.This story has been corrected to show that Brownsville, Tennessee, is in the western part of the state, and that there is a hospital in Rocky Mount, Virginia, but it does not have a labor and delivery unit.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Aspopped up across the U.S. this winter, pediatricians waited for the nation’s public health agency to send a routine, but important, letter that outlines how they could help stop the spread of the illness.