Chronic pancreatitis is a progressive fibroinflammatory disease primarily caused by a complex interplay of environmental and genetic risk factors. It might result in pancreatic exocrine and endocrine insufficiency, chronic pain, reduced quality of life, and increased mortality. The diagnosis is based on the presence of typical symptoms and multiple morphological manifestations of the pancreas, including pancreatic duct stones and strictures, parenchymal calcifications, and pseudocysts. Management of chronic pancreatitis consists of prevention and treatment of complications, requiring a multidisciplinary approach focusing on lifestyle modifications, exocrine insufficiency, nutritional status, bone health, endocrine insufficiency, pain management, and psychological care. To optimise clinical outcomes, screening for complications and evaluation of treatment efficacy are indicated in all patients with chronic pancreatitis.

This Health Policy examines the relationship between child cash benefits and child health, with the goal of informing future policy development in the USA. As of 2024, more than 140 countries have adopted large-scale, government-funded child cash transfer programmes. High-income countries more often adopt universal or near universal programmes, while lower-income countries often impose means tests or condition benefits on specific behaviours. Evidence on the adoption of child cash benefits from a broad set of nations finds that they can improve a range of child health outcomes, with the most robust evidence of health benefits occurring when delivered to children younger than 5 years and during the prenatal period. During the 2021 expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC), the USA briefly joined other high-income countries by introducing a near universal, unconditional child cash benefit, which led to a historic decline in child poverty. Although the expanded CTC expired, state and local governments and communities have continued to advocate for and implement policies like it. On the basis of this success and building on global evidence, the USA should adopt a permanent child cash benefit consistent with other high-income countries and the 2021 expanded CTC. Nations further developing their cash benefits should also give special attention to the prenatal and infant period.

As the beginning of the next US presidential administration approaches, the USA faces a series of complex challenges that threaten the health of the American people and the effectiveness and sustainability of their health and health-care systems. Taking office in January, 2025, the next administration will need to address myriad systems-level and public health challenges, including the long-term health impacts of COVID-19 and threat of future pandemics, negative effects of climate change on health, unaffordability and inefficiencies in health care, and resulting and long-standing disparities in health-care access and health outcomes. Without decisive policy action, population health is likely to stagnate or even deteriorate. We present five priority areas to guide US federal strategy in 2025 and beyond: improve public health and address health and social inequities; catalyse transformation towards a more effective, equitable health system; address crucial health issues such as climate change; advance artificial intelligence for health and health care; and strengthen responsible science and innovation. To achieve these goals, we suggest policy action items for federal stakeholders and emphasise the importance of social determinants of health, cross-sector collaboration, population health perspectives, and transformative partnerships. By prioritising these strategic imperatives, the incoming administration can set a plan towards a healthier, more resilient future for all Americans.

The capacity to anticipate future health issues is important for both policy makers and practitioners in the USA, as such insights can facilitate effective planning, investment, and implementation strategies. Forecasting trends in disease and injury burden is not only crucial for policy makers but also garners substantial interest from the general populace and leads to a better-informed public. Through the integration of new data sources, the refinement of methodologies, and the inclusion of additional causes, we have improved our previous forecasting efforts within the scope of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) to produce forecasts at the state and national levels for the USA under various possible scenarios.

The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 provides a comprehensive assessment of health and risk factor trends at global, regional, national, and subnational levels. This study aims to examine the burden of diseases, injuries, and risk factors in the USA and highlight the disparities in health outcomes across different states.