A U.S. government health report under the Trump administration is under scrutiny for citing studies that don’t exist. The “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) report, promoted by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., aimed to examine chronic illnesses in children and listed nearly 500 studies. However, several of these were found to be fabricated or inaccurately cited.
According to an investigation by news outlet NOTUS, at least seven studies referenced in the report couldn’t be verified. Some citations led to broken links or misrepresented findings. Despite the discrepancies, the Department of Health and Human Services defended the report as a “historic and transformative assessment,” and later published a corrected version.
Two academics, Columbia University’s Katherine Keyes and VCU’s Robert Findling, denied involvement in studies falsely attributed to them. Keyes expressed concern over the scientific integrity of such practices.
Kennedy, a controversial figure known for opposing vaccines, has faced criticism from the scientific community for his drastic cuts to health agency staff and research funding since becoming health secretary.
The disputed studies were quietly removed from the online report by Thursday evening.