Health
US surgeon general advisory names parent stress an 'urgent public health issue'
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a public health advisory on Wednesday addressing the mental health and well-being of parents.
The advisory, which is reserved for “significant public health challenges that require the nation’s immediate awareness and action,” discussed various factors that cause stress for parents and noted an urgent need for support.
“Parents have a profound impact on the health of our children and the health of society,” Murthy wrote in a statement posted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
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“Yet parents and caregivers today face tremendous pressures, from familiar stressors such as worrying about their kids’ health and safety and financial concerns, to new challenges like navigating technology and social media, a youth mental health crisis, and an epidemic of loneliness that has hit young people the hardest,” he went on.
“As a father of two kids, I feel these pressures, too.”
Dr. Vivek H. Murthy speaks onstage at The Archewell Foundation Parents’ Summit: Mental Wellness in the Digital Age at Hudson Yards on Oct. 10, 2023, in New York City. (Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Project Healthy Minds)
In the 30-page advisory, Murthy called for a “fundamental shift” in prioritizing the mental health and well-being of parents.
“I am also outlining policies, programs and individual actions we can all take to support parents and caregivers,” he said.
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Thirty percent of parents reported high levels of stress in the past month, compared to 20% of other adults, according to the advisory.
Severe stress can have “a deleterious effect,” Murthy wrote — as 41% of parents reported that most days, they experience so much stress that they cannot function, while 48% said their stress is “completely overwhelming” on most days.
What’s causing this stress?
The COVID-19 pandemic was cited as a contributor to stressors among parents and caregivers, as well as financial stability, concerns for health and safety, management of tech and social media, parental loneliness, cultural pressures and their children’s future.
School safety concerns among parents are particularly high, as firearm-related injury has become the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the U.S.
Financial stability, concerns for health and safety, management of tech and social media, and uncertainty about children’s futures are among the stressors experienced by parents. (iStock)
Many parents also face circumstances such as family or community violence, poverty, and racism and discrimination, all of which can impact mental health.
“Both maternal and paternal mental health conditions are shown to impact the well-being of children,” the advisory noted.
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“Maternal mental health conditions have been found to significantly impact a child’s well-being and environment, and can serve as a critical determinant of child outcomes.”
What can be done?
The surgeon general intends to “take steps to mitigate stress at every stage” for parents and caregivers, he said.
Murthy’s advisory encouraged governments and employers to establish programs to ensure that parents have access to affordable mental health care, paid family and medical leave, and other family services.
“Both maternal and paternal mental health conditions are shown to impact the well-being of children,” according to the advisory. (iStock)
The surgeon general also encouraged schools and communities to provide support services and groups to help parents manage stress.
Robin Hilmantel, senior director of editorial strategy and growth at What to Expect, part of Everyday Health, told Fox News Digital that this advisory “feels like a long-overdue acknowledgment of what has been obvious for a while now: Parents are struggling.”
Thirty percent of U.S. parents reported high levels of stress in the past month.
A What to Expect survey of more than 3,000 women found that more than two-thirds of moms (68%) experience anxiety, while 79% of Gen Z moms reported the same.
“There are a lot of reasons why being a parent today is so challenging — parenthood is isolating, as 76% of moms say they don’t have enough support in the form of a ‘village,’” said Hilmantel, who is based in North Carolina.
School safety concerns are high among parents, the advisory said. (iStock)
“There’s also a culture of comparison for today’s parents — 83% of Gen Z moms say they feel pressure to be a perfect parent,” she added.
Some other top parental stressors, according to the survey, include safety, lack of time for themselves, finances and children’s development.
Eighty-three percent of Gen Z moms say they feel pressure to be a perfect parent.
“Remember that you’re not alone if you feel overwhelming stress; other parents are dealing with their own stressors,” Hilmantel said.
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“What you see on social media is often a highlight reel, so you definitely shouldn’t feel bad about your parenting based on anything you see online.”
The expert suggested that parents should try to “cultivate a network of friends, family and acquaintances.”
There is “no shame in directly asking family and friends for help,” one parenting expert said. (iStock)
“Parents can add people to their village by attending in-person meetups where they can connect with other new parents, and by joining online communities where parents can openly discuss anything they’re struggling with,” she said.
Hilmantel added that there is “no shame in directly asking family and friends for help.”
Novo Nordisk to slash Wegovy, Ozempic list prices
Board certified rheumatologist Dr. Mahsa Tehrani discusses Novo Nordisk’s decision to dramatically cut the U.S. list prices for its popular diabetes and weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy on ‘America Reports.’
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Millions of Medicare beneficiaries struggling with obesity could soon see the cost of weight-loss drugs plummet, as a new federal pilot program launching July 1 expands access to GLP-1 medications like Wegovy and Zepbound for eligible seniors.
Through a new trial called Medicare GLP-1 Bridge, the federal government is now offering a selection of the brand-name medications to certain Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries for $50 a month, The Associated Press reported.
The covered medications include drugmaker Eli Lilly’s Foundayo tablets and Zepbound KwikPens and Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy injections and tablets, all of which have been FDA-approved for weight loss, according to the report.
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The temporary program is set to run until the end of 2027.
This is the first time GLP-1s (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists) will be covered by insurance when used solely for weight loss.
A new federal pilot program launching July 1 expands access to GLP-1 medications like Wegovy and Zepbound for eligible seniors. (iStock)
Prior to this new Medicare pilot, seniors who wanted to access GLP-1s for obesity alone paid about $1,350-$1,650 per month for Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy (semaglutide) and about $1,086 monthly for Lilly’s Zepbound (tirzepatide). However, both manufacturers offered some cash-pay options that significantly reduced those prices for eligible patients.
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There are some parameters surrounding the coverage — older adults must have had a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or higher when they started GLP-1 therapy, or a BMI of 27 or higher alongside another health condition, such as a past heart attack or stroke or prediabetes.
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Those who already have insurance coverage for other diseases, such as diabetes and sleep apnea, are not eligible for the program.
Through a new trial called Medicare GLP-1 Bridge, the federal government is now offering a selection of the brand-name medications to certain Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries for $50 a month. (iStock)
There are more than 70 million Americans currently enrolled in Medicare, 10 million of whom are overweight or obese, according to Juliette Cubanski, vice president and director of the program on Medicare policy at the healthcare research nonprofit KFF.
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“For many older Americans living with obesity, this is a moment they and their families have been waiting for,” Jamey Millar, Novo Nordisk’s executive vice president of U.S. operations, said in a press release.
“The Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program offers a new, affordable path to an FDA-approved treatment that was previously not covered.”
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Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said he hopes the program can help his agency collect data to potentially work toward longer-term coverage, while providing immediate relief to cash-strapped older Americans, AP reported.
“The sheer cost of these medications is a huge barrier to access,” he said in a call with reporters. “That ends today.”
Prior to this new Medicare pilot, seniors who wanted to access GLP-1s for obesity alone paid about $1,350-$1,650 per month for Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy (semaglutide) and about $1,086 monthly for Lilly’s Zepbound (tirzepatide). (iStock)
Oz told reporters that CMS plans to “carefully track participation and outcomes” to see whether an extension of the Bridge program or another solution is the best way to move forward. He told AP a federal law permanently allowing the coverage is “not essential right now” but something “for Congress to debate amongst themselves.”
“We can’t decide what’s going to happen long term with Bridge until we see some of the data,” he said, adding that there are ongoing talks with drug companies to lower costs.
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One potential concern is that older patients tend to have more adverse effects to medication in general , according to Dr. Micah Eimer, a clinical assistant professor of cardiology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
“Specifically, in our research, older patients on blood pressure medications were more likely to experience hypotensive side effects, such as fainting and dizziness, after starting a GLP-1,” he said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Federal health officials are attempting to track down the source of a microscopic parasite that triggers prolonged gastrointestinal illness, as domestic cases begin to climb for the summer season.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had confirmed 145 cases of cyclosporiasis across 17 states as of mid-June 2026, all linked to infections acquired in the U.S.
The culprit is Cyclospora, a microscopic parasite known to cause cyclosporiasis.
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The hallmark symptom of the infection is watery, often “explosive” diarrhea that can last for weeks or even months if left untreated, the CDC says.
There is currently no evidence of a single, multistate Cyclospora outbreak linking all cases. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy, File)
Other symptoms include severe abdominal cramping, bloating, nausea, fatigue and significant weight loss.
The official outbreak season for the parasite runs from May 1 through Aug. 31, a window where warmer temperatures historically coincide with a spike in infections, according to the CDC.
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Cases have cropped up in states ranging from Texas to Alaska. New York has been hit the hardest so far, reporting between 31 and 80 cases, followed by Texas and Illinois, which have each reported between 11 and 30 cases.
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While the infection can sometimes clear up on its own, it frequently requires antibiotics. Out of the 145 confirmed cases, 20 patients have required hospitalization, per the CDC.
While the infection can sometimes clear up on its own, it frequently requires antibiotics. (iStock)
No deaths have yet been reported. Patients range from 5 to 86 years old, though the median age is 42, and women make up 61% of the reported cases, data shows.
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The CDC, alongside the Food and Drug Administration and state health officials, is actively investigating several multi-state clusters, but they have yet to find a cause behind the spread.
Officials urge patients with symptoms to seek help from a medical professional. (iStock)
“There is currently no evidence of a single, multistate Cyclospora outbreak linking all cases,” the CDC noted in its surveillance report.
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The CDC advises anyone experiencing symptoms of cyclosporiasis to contact a healthcare provider for testing and treatment.
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