Insights from End Chronic Disease
Written by our team: research explainers that break down what a study found and what it did not, and spotlights on the policy moves, journalism, and events shaping chronic disease prevention.
Looking for press coverage, interviews, and op-eds? See our News page.
ExplainerOct 2026
Americans are trying to eat healthier. The data tells a more complicated story.
For the first time in 21 years of a national food survey, convenience outranked healthfulness as a reason Americans choose food.
ExplainerOct 2026
Calories in, calories out? What a new ultra-processed food study found.
Researchers matched two meals on calories and nutrients. One was ultra-processed. The body still responded differently. We break down why it matters for prevention.
SpotlightOct 2026
What Amish communities can teach us about chronic disease prevention
Several major studies have found markedly lower rates of diabetes, hypertension, and cancer among Amish adults. Kelly McKenna looks at the daily habits behind the numbers.
SpotlightOct 2026
California update: two End Chronic Disease-backed bills signed into law
SB 1133 brings nutrition, sleep, and physical activity into California health education, and SB 1047 makes California the second state to track frontotemporal degeneration.
SpotlightOct 2026
Back-to-school season brings renewed attention to student cellphone and screen use
From a federal symposium to phone-free classrooms in New York and Arkansas, the goal is to keep technology from crowding out what healthy development needs.
SpotlightOct 2026
Why did taxi and ambulance drivers have the lowest share of Alzheimer’s deaths?
A study of nearly 9 million Americans found the lowest proportions of Alzheimer’s deaths in two occupations built on constant navigation. What the research does and does not tell us.
SpotlightAug 2026
Volume on the recess conversation amplifies as parents and policymakers push for more play
New pediatric guidance, a parent-led movement, and landmark laws in Tennessee and Oklahoma are putting unstructured play back on the agenda.
SpotlightAug 2026
Alabama schools report great progress and cultural shifts after one year of phone-free classrooms
Schools that went phone-free report stronger engagement, more conversations at lunch, better discipline, and less cheating.
SpotlightAug 2026
California neurodegenerative disease registry bill moves forward; new momentum on dementia research, prevention, and early detection
More than 7 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s today. Better registry data, new research on diet, and earlier warning signs are sharpening the focus on prevention.
SpotlightAug 2026
Play, passion, literature, arts: can these help fight chronic disease?
Diet, exercise, and sleep dominate the prevention conversation. A growing body of research is examining another piece of the puzzle: creativity, culture, play, and meaningful activity.
SpotlightAug 2026
Journalism spotlight: Staten Island investigates its local cancer crisis
Staten Island has the highest overall cancer rate of New York City’s five boroughs, and no comprehensive study explains why. A new investigative series is asking the question.
SpotlightJul 2026
AAP calls for universal school meals nationwide
The nation’s pediatricians say free meals for every student improve diet quality, reduce food insecurity, and support learning.
SpotlightJul 2026
Illinois advances statewide classroom cellphone restrictions; New York celebrates success from bell-to-bell bans
States across the political spectrum are limiting phones in class, early results from New York are encouraging, and new research ties screen time to what teens eat.
SpotlightJul 2026
Groundbreaking “food is medicine” study reduces hospitalizations among Medicaid recipients by 31%
Medically tailored meals cut hospital visits, emergency visits, and costs for Medicaid patients with chronic conditions, and the savings covered nearly the whole cost of the meals.
SpotlightJul 2026
End Chronic Disease continues to elevate recess as a public health priority
Only 10 states require a minimum amount of daily recess for elementary students. New pediatric guidance says it should be protected and never withheld.
SpotlightJul 2026
Journalism spotlight: “The number of people with Parkinson’s is exploding. Are chemicals to blame?”
Student reporters at the University of Florida, published by WUFT and the Tampa Bay Times, examine the evidence linking pesticides and industrial chemicals to Parkinson’s disease.
SpotlightJul 2026
Mike Mooney joins Fox & Friends to discuss his Parkinson’s battle
After Vermont became the first state to ban paraquat, a former landscaper diagnosed at 49 took his story national, and the EPA announced a roundtable on the herbicide’s safety.
SpotlightMay 2026
Bipartisan Vermont bill to phase out paraquat marks a major public health milestone
Vermont is the first state to pass a ban on the herbicide linked to Parkinson’s disease. More than 70 countries have already done so without losing crop yields.
SpotlightMay 2026
Los Angeles Unified School District announces sweeping plan to reduce classroom screen time
The nation’s second-largest school district voted unanimously to limit screens in class. What the policy would do, and how it fits a wider push in California and beyond.
SpotlightMay 2026
AAP issues first updated recess guidance in more than a decade as the national recess debate intensifies
Pediatricians say recess is essential for physical health, not just learning. Only 10 states require a daily minimum, and the picture is moving in both directions.
SpotlightMay 2026
Kansas governor vetoes recess bill
HB 2763 would have guaranteed 30 minutes of daily recess for elementary students and passed both chambers with bipartisan majorities. Governor Laura Kelly vetoed it.
SpotlightMay 2026
Texas launches $60 million rural health prevention initiative
Wellness centers, farmers markets, free screenings, and after-hours clinics for rural hospital districts, the first of about $1.4 billion in federal rural health funding over five years.
SpotlightMay 2026
