[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 115 Introduced in House (IH)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 115
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives concerning health
promotion and disease prevention.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 4, 2001
Mr. Green of Texas (for himself, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Dicks, Mr. Burton of
Indiana, Mr. Bachus, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Davis of Florida,
Mr. Wamp, Mr. LaHood, Mr. Price of North Carolina, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr.
Holt, Mr. Doyle, Mr. Gordon, Mr. Moran of Virginia, Mr. Watkins, Mr.
Wicker, Mr. Frank, Mr. Kingston, Ms. Hooley of Oregon, Mr. Boucher, Mr.
Luther, Mr. Ehlers, Mr. Castle, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Baldacci, Ms.
McCollum, Mr. Upton, Mr. Coyne, Mr. McIntyre, Mr. Clement, Mr. Snyder,
Mr. Greenwood, Mr. Gonzalez, Ms. Carson of Indiana, Mr. Brady of
Pennsylvania, Mr. Deutsch, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Blagojevich, and Ms.
Slaughter) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives concerning health
promotion and disease prevention.
Whereas the New England Journal of Medicine has reported that modifiable
lifestyle factors such as smoking, sedentary lifestyle, poor nutrition,
unmanaged stress, and obesity account for approximately 50 percent of
the premature deaths in the United States;
Whereas the New England Journal of Medicine has reported that spending on
chronic diseases related to lifestyle and other preventable diseases
accounts for an estimated 70 percent of total health care spending;
Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services has concluded that the
health burden of these behaviors falls in greatest proportion on older
adults, young children, racial and ethnic minority groups, and citizens
who have less education and income;
Whereas business leaders in the United States have asserted that the economic
burden of medical care diverts corporate resources from investments that
could produce greater financial returns, and reduces the wages paid to
employees;
Whereas the Office of Management and Budget reports that the medicaid and
medicare programs consume an increasingly large portion of government
funding;
Whereas the American Journal of Public Health reports that the financial burden
of the medicare program will increase substantially as the population
ages and increasing numbers of people are covered by that program;
Whereas a viable method to control medical care costs for the nation is to
enhance the health of the American people and reduce the need for
medical services;
Whereas the American Journal of Health Promotion reports that a growing research
base demonstrates that lifestyle factors can be modified to improve
health, improve the quality of life, reduce medical care costs, and
enhance workplace productivity through health promotion programs;
Whereas the Health Care Financing Administration has determined that less than 5
percent of health care spending is devoted to the whole area of public
health, and a very small portion of that 5 percent is devoted to health
promotion;
Whereas significant additional work is required to develop the basic and applied
science of health promotion;
Whereas additional research is required to clarify the impact of health
promotion programs on long term health behaviors, health conditions,
morbidity and mortality, medical care utilization and cost, as well as
quality of life and productivity;
Whereas the Institute of Medicine has proclaimed that additional research is
required to determine the most effective strategies at the individual,
organizational, community, and societal level to create lasting health
behavior changes, reduce medical utilization and enhance workplace
productivity;
Whereas health promotion leaders proclaim that additional research is required
to develop strategies to reach all groups with special attention focused
on older adults, young children, racial and ethnic minority groups and
citizens who have less education and income;
Whereas health promotion leaders proclaim that significant efforts are required
to develop standardized management and clinical protocols for programs
and to disseminate these protocols to scientists and practitioners in
health care, workplace, school, and other community settings;
Whereas health promotion leaders proclaim that information on the benefits of
health promotion programs must be disseminated to policy makers in
public and private sector settings;
Whereas health promotion leaders proclaim that significant efforts are required
to develop programs to enhance lifestyle in school, workplace, health
care, and other community settings;
Whereas investments in health promotion contributes directly to current efforts
of Ending Health Disparities, the Leading Health Indicators, and Healthy
People 2010; and
Whereas Research!America reports that most American citizens and scientists have
shown strong support for increased investment in health promotion: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This resolution may be cited as the ``National Health Promotion
Resolution of 2001''.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
It is the sense of the House of Representatives that the powers of
the Federal Government should be utilized--
(1) to enhance the science base required to fully develop
the field of health promotion and disease prevention; and
(2) to explore how strategies can integrate lifestyle
improvement programs into national policy, health care
workplaces, families, and communities.
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