[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 220 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 220

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with regard to the 
                        heart disease in women.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 23, 1999

  Ms. Millender-McDonald (for herself, Mr. Barrett of Wisconsin, Mr. 
Bonior, Mr. Coyne, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Frost, Mr. Gutierrez, Ms. Norton, 
Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mrs. Kelly, Ms. Kilpatrick, Mr. McNulty, Mrs. 
 Meek of Florida, Mr. Meehan, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Shows, Mr. Thompson 
    of Mississippi, and Mrs. Jones of Ohio) submitted the following 
      resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with regard to the 
                        heart disease in women.

Whereas heart disease is the number one cause of death in American women;
Whereas more than 500,000 women in the United States die from heart disease each 
        year;
Whereas women often have other diseases such as arthritis or osteoporosis that 
        can mask heart attack symptoms and can delay medical care;
Whereas the 1998 National Vital Statistics Report stated that 328,625 white 
        females and 40,306 black females experienced heart disease during that 
        year in the United States;
Whereas high cholesterol and high blood pressure are two of the risk factors 
        that can lead to heart disease;
Whereas 50.5 percent of white women, 41.5 percent of black women, 33.3 percent 
        of Hispanic women, 36.6 percent of Asian Pacific women, and 28.8 percent 
        of American Indian women experience heart disease;
Whereas 53 percent of white women, 47 percent of black women, 43 percent of 
        Hispanic women, 25.8 percent of Asian Pacific women, and 37.6 percent of 
        American Indian women have cholesterol levels of 200 mg/dL or higher in 
        the United States;
Whereas the 1998 National Vital Statistics Report found that 79 percent of black 
        women and 60 percent of white women over 45 years old were classified as 
        having high blood pressure in the United States;
Whereas heart disease and high blood pressure can contribute to heart failure, 
        an inability of the heart to pump blood at a rate adequate to meet the 
        demands of the body's tissues, the need for emergency open-heart 
        surgery, or death; and
Whereas women can prevent heart disease by stopping the use of tobacco, reducing 
        the daily intake of alcohol, controlling blood pressure, controlling 
        cholesterol and weight, exercising for 30 to 60 minutes 3 to 4 times a 
        week, and taking a low-dose aspirin once a day or antioxidant vitamin, 
        through 5 servings of fruits or vegetables daily: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This resolution may be cited as the ``Women and Heart Disease 
Awareness Resolution''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF THE HOUSE WITH REGARD TO WOMEN AND HEART DISEASE.

    The House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the severity of the issue of women and heart 
        disease;
            (2) calls on the people of the United States to take this 
        opportunity to learn about heart disease, its symptoms, and the 
        steps women can take to lower their risk;
            (3) recognizes the importance of federally funded programs 
        that provide research and collect data on the rate of heart 
        disease among women, according to age, ethnicity, and 
        socioeconomic status; and
            (4) recognizes the importance of the National Heart, Lung 
        and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health, and 
        the need for adequate funding to continue research and data 
        collection about women and heart disease, particularly with 
        respect to minority populations.
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