Purpose of This Assessment 5
Introduction 7
The Chronic Disease Crisis: A Generation at Risk 9
    What is Driving the Increase in Childhood Chronic Disease? 16
    Corporate Capture and the Revolving Door 18
Section 1. The Shift to Ultra-Processed Foods 20
    A Closer Look at Ultra-Processed Foods 22
    The Impact of Ultra-Processed Foods and the Vital Role of Whole Foods in Children’s Health 26
    The Driving Forces Behind American Children’s Food Crisis 28
    Government Programs Compounding the Issue 32
Section 2. The Cumulative Load of Chemicals in our Environment 36
    Chemical Exposures 37
    Why Children Are Uniquely Vulnerable to Environmental Chemicals 39
    Corporate Influence 45
        Scientific Research 45
        Laws and Regulations 47
Section 3. The Crisis of Childhood Behavior in the Digital Age 48
    The Decline of Physical Activity 49
    Psychosocial Factors and Mental Health Crisis 50
Section 4. The Overmedicalization of Our Kids 58
    American Children are on Too Much Medicine—A Recent and Emerging Crisis 59
    Growth of the Childhood Vaccine Schedule 63
    From Bench to Bedside: Mechanisms of Corporate Capture 66
Next Steps – Supporting Gold-Standard Scientific Research and Developing a Comprehensive Strategy 72