Over the last six months, there have been several policy changes affecting children’s nutrition benefits, vaccine mandates, and more. A new survey from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health reveals how American adults view these recent federal actions and proposals.
The Emory-Rollins National Child Policy Poll is a nationally representative survey conducted by the Emory Center for Child Health Policy. The research team asked more than 1,000 U.S. adults about their opinions on several issues that influence child health: infant safety and monitoring programs, vaccine requirements, water safety, and nutrition guidelines for federal food-purchasing assistance programs.
“In the past six months, the federal government has made several big changes that affect kids’ health—like updates to newborn screening and changes to the group that advises the CDC on vaccines,” says lead author Stephen Patrick, MD, chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Rollins School of Public Health.
“Our national poll found that most Americans, no matter their politics, don’t support these changes, and that cuts to critical public health programs that serve the nation’s children are unpopular across the political spectrum.”
Americans agree: child-focused programs need federal support
Federal spending cuts and organizational restructuring recently ended several infant safety and monitoring programs, including the “Safe to Sleep” campaign, the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children (ACHDNC), and the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). These programs help prevent newborn sleep-related deaths, provide guidance on newborn screening for health conditions, and provide recommendations to improve outcomes for mothers and infants.
The survey found that Americans across party lines did not support cutting these child-focused programs. Funding cuts for the “Safe to Sleep” campaign were especially unpopular, with fewer than one in five people surveyed (15.9%) supporting its elimination. More than half think federal support for ACHDNC (55.9%) and PRAMS (65.1%) is necessary. The responsibility of continuing programs like PRAMS now falls on states. This could further increase state-level disparities.
Americans show decreased trust in vaccine policy
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently dismissed members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a committee of experts responsible for making recommendations for vaccine use that includes the pediatric vaccination schedule and appointed new members. Nearly half of people surveyed (48.5%) said this action decreases their trust in federal vaccine policy. There was a notable discrepancy in Trump and Harris voters, with fewer Trump voters (16.6%) than Harris voters (85.0%) saying their trust has declined.
Additionally, more than one in three U.S. adults surveyed (36.5%) say their trust in federal vaccine policy has decreased based on new COVID-19 vaccine requirements, which includes no longer recommending them for children.
“Secretary Kennedy wants to rebuild Americans’ trust in vaccines, but we see that the actions taken so far around vaccine policy have failed to increase Americans’ trust. In fact, the changes around ACIP have decreased trust among nearly half of Americans,” says study author Sarah Loch, associate director of the Emory Center for Child Health Policy.
Americans’ water safety concerns are lead and heavy metals—not fluoride
While Americans are split on whether to add fluoride to drinking water, they don’t see it as a major threat to safe drinking water for children. Additionally, fewer than one in four people surveyed (22.1%) support the federal decision to remove the option for prescribed fluoride tablets and drops in areas where fluoridated water is unavailable. Two in three people (60.9%) identify lead and heavy metal contamination as the biggest risk to drinking water, with germs like bacteria, viruses, and parasites being the second biggest risk.
Federal efforts related to fluoride would be better directed at addressing lead and heavy metals to align with what Americans prioritize.
Americans broadly support SNAP nutrition standards
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) is a food assistance program that helps low-income households buy groceries. The USDA has started offering food restriction waivers to states allowing them to restrict the purchase of non-nutritious food items using SNAP benefits. More than half of U.S. adults surveyed (58.7%) agree with banning junk food purchases using SNAP benefits.
Citation:
Poll: Americans largely don’t support federal changes to child health programs (2025, August 6)
retrieved 6 August 2025
from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-poll-americans-largely-dont-federal.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
Over the last six months, there have been several policy changes affecting children’s nutrition benefits, vaccine mandates, and more. A new survey from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health reveals how American adults view these recent federal actions and proposals.
The Emory-Rollins National Child Policy Poll is a nationally representative survey conducted by the Emory Center for Child Health Policy. The research team asked more than 1,000 U.S. adults about their opinions on several issues that influence child health: infant safety and monitoring programs, vaccine requirements, water safety, and nutrition guidelines for federal food-purchasing assistance programs.
“In the past six months, the federal government has made several big changes that affect kids’ health—like updates to newborn screening and changes to the group that advises the CDC on vaccines,” says lead author Stephen Patrick, MD, chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Rollins School of Public Health.
“Our national poll found that most Americans, no matter their politics, don’t support these changes, and that cuts to critical public health programs that serve the nation’s children are unpopular across the political spectrum.”
Americans agree: child-focused programs need federal support
Federal spending cuts and organizational restructuring recently ended several infant safety and monitoring programs, including the “Safe to Sleep” campaign, the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children (ACHDNC), and the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). These programs help prevent newborn sleep-related deaths, provide guidance on newborn screening for health conditions, and provide recommendations to improve outcomes for mothers and infants.
The survey found that Americans across party lines did not support cutting these child-focused programs. Funding cuts for the “Safe to Sleep” campaign were especially unpopular, with fewer than one in five people surveyed (15.9%) supporting its elimination. More than half think federal support for ACHDNC (55.9%) and PRAMS (65.1%) is necessary. The responsibility of continuing programs like PRAMS now falls on states. This could further increase state-level disparities.
Americans show decreased trust in vaccine policy
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently dismissed members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a committee of experts responsible for making recommendations for vaccine use that includes the pediatric vaccination schedule and appointed new members. Nearly half of people surveyed (48.5%) said this action decreases their trust in federal vaccine policy. There was a notable discrepancy in Trump and Harris voters, with fewer Trump voters (16.6%) than Harris voters (85.0%) saying their trust has declined.
Additionally, more than one in three U.S. adults surveyed (36.5%) say their trust in federal vaccine policy has decreased based on new COVID-19 vaccine requirements, which includes no longer recommending them for children.
“Secretary Kennedy wants to rebuild Americans’ trust in vaccines, but we see that the actions taken so far around vaccine policy have failed to increase Americans’ trust. In fact, the changes around ACIP have decreased trust among nearly half of Americans,” says study author Sarah Loch, associate director of the Emory Center for Child Health Policy.
Americans’ water safety concerns are lead and heavy metals—not fluoride
While Americans are split on whether to add fluoride to drinking water, they don’t see it as a major threat to safe drinking water for children. Additionally, fewer than one in four people surveyed (22.1%) support the federal decision to remove the option for prescribed fluoride tablets and drops in areas where fluoridated water is unavailable. Two in three people (60.9%) identify lead and heavy metal contamination as the biggest risk to drinking water, with germs like bacteria, viruses, and parasites being the second biggest risk.
Federal efforts related to fluoride would be better directed at addressing lead and heavy metals to align with what Americans prioritize.
Americans broadly support SNAP nutrition standards
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) is a food assistance program that helps low-income households buy groceries. The USDA has started offering food restriction waivers to states allowing them to restrict the purchase of non-nutritious food items using SNAP benefits. More than half of U.S. adults surveyed (58.7%) agree with banning junk food purchases using SNAP benefits.
Citation:
Poll: Americans largely don’t support federal changes to child health programs (2025, August 6)
retrieved 6 August 2025
from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-poll-americans-largely-dont-federal.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
