posted June 3, 2003
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN), Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT) today introduced comprehensive legislation aimed at reducing obesity, particularly among children and adolescents.
The “Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act,” or “IMPACT Act,” is an update on a bill originally introduced in the 107th Congress. It recognizes significant problems associated with obesity including heart disease, diabetes and cancer and works to reduce those problems by encouraging better nutrition and more physical activity.
“This bill will provide vital information necessary for the American public to make informed choices to live healthier and enjoy a higher quality life,” said Frist. “With increasing rates of obesity among both juvenile and adult populations, it’s critical that we act to raise awareness of healthy behavior and the risks of obesity. Children learn from example and can benefit from knowing the facts about how they can improve their own health and well-being today. Obesity is for the most part preventable. If we’re to be successful, the American public must have the information they need to overcome this epidemic.”
“Obesity is our nation's fastest rising public health problem, and it's increasingly affecting every segment of the American population ‑ particularly young people. As a nation, we can no longer afford to ignore the escalating costs associated with obesity and unhealthy lifestyles, such as physical inactivity and poor dietary habits. This legislation begins to tackle those serious problems by advancing proven and innovative strategies designed to get people moving, eating well and engaged in healthy lifestyles,” Bingaman said.
“We must act to stem this growing epidemic of physical inactivity and unhealthy eating. Failure to do so, I believe, would serve only to endanger the health of more and more of our children by exposing them to the often disastrous consequences of overweight and obesity,” said Dodd, Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Children and Families. “That is why I am pleased to join today with Senators Frist and Bingaman to introduce legislation that takes a measured and important first step toward addressing the deadly implications of obesity.”
Over 60 percent of U.S. adults and 13 percent of children are estimated to be overweight, and an estimated 300,000 deaths per year are associated with being overweight or obese. The prevalence of obesity is increasing among all age groups. There are twice the number of overweight children and three times the number of overweight adolescents as there were 30 years ago.
Being overweight or obese brings with it an increased risk for heart disease and cancer - the leading and second leading causes of death, respectively, officials said. Being overweight or obese also brings with it an increased risk for diabetes and musculo-skeletal disorders, such as osteoarthritis.
This legislation would:
· Add obesity, being overweight, and eating disorders to the list of priority conditions to be addressed by health professions Title VII training grants and train practicing health professionals about proper methods to diagnose, treat and prevent obesity, and eating disorders.
· Authorize $60 million in fiscal year 2004 to create a demonstration program that funds community organizations to conduct a variety of activities, which have demonstrated some benefit for curbing obesity and eating disorders, with $5 million being allocated to eating disorder activities during that period. These programs focus on providing specific community interventions, school-based activities, and health care delivery system programs, while focusing on education, outreach, and intervention techniques.
· Provide additional authority for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to collect information regarding fitness levels and energy expenditure among children.
· Authorize a study by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to examine the Department of Agriculture’s food supplement programs (i.e., WIC, School Lunch Program, Food Commodity Program) to determine whether they contribute to preventing or enhancing obesity among low-income populations.
· Direct the Agency for Healthcare Research Quality and Quality in the Department of Health and Human Services to review any new information relating to obesity trends among various sub-populations and include such information, where it is relevant, in its health disparities report.
· Allow States to use their Preventive Services Block Grant money for community education on improved nutrition and increased physical activity. State block grants can be use for a variety of purposes, and this section only adds obesity to the list of alternatives. States still decide how to use their block grants.
· Instruct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report on what research has been conducted on obesity treatment and prevention, what has been learned from this research, and what future research should be conducted. Given that obesity research is conducted in several agencies and institutes, this study will assist in collating the results of this research and coordinating departmental research in the future.
· Ask the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report on its effectiveness in changing children’s behaviors and reducing obesity, given the widespread use of the Youth Media Campaign.
IMPACT has been referred to the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. All three senators are members of that panel.
Representatives Mary Bono (R-CA) and Kay Granger (R-TX) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives earlier this year.
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