[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 303 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 303

  Expressing the sense of the Congress with respect to obesity in the 
                             United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 16, 2003

 Mr. Andrews submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the Congress with respect to obesity in the 
                             United States.

Whereas, as the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States 
        today, overweight and obesity pose a major public health challenge;
Whereas higher body weights are associated with increases in all causes of 
        mortality;
Whereas an estimated 97,000,000 adults in the United States are overweight or 
        obese, a condition that substantially raises their risk of morbidity 
        from hypertension, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart 
        disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and 
        respiratory problems, and endometrial, breast, prostate, and colon 
        cancers;
Whereas obese individuals may also suffer from social stigmatization and 
        discrimination;
Whereas overweight is defined as a body mass index (``BMI'') of 25 to 29.9 kg/m2 
        and obesity as a BMI equal to or greater than 30 kg/m2 (but overweight 
        and obesity are not mutually exclusive, as obese persons are also 
        overweight);
Whereas a BMI of 30 is approximately 30 pounds overweight, which is equivalent 
        to 221 pounds in a 6'0" individual and to 186 pounds in a 5'6" 
        individual;
Whereas the number of overweight and obese individuals (men and women) has risen 
        since 1960, and in the last decade, the percentage of individuals age 20 
        years or older who are overweight or obese has increased to 54.9 
        percent;
Whereas overweight and obesity are especially evident in some minority groups, 
        as well as in those with lower incomes and less education; and
Whereas a month should be designated for appropriate public and private entities 
        to carry out activities to raise awareness of the health problems 
        associated with being overweight or obese: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of the Congress that--
            (1) the role played by national and community organizations 
        and health care providers in promoting awareness of the 
        importance of early diagnosis and assessment of obesity should 
        be recognized and applauded;
            (2) the Federal Government has a responsibility--
                    (A) to endeavor to raise awareness about the 
                medical complications of obesity and its alarming 
                prevalence and incidence growth, as well as the medical 
                model for its assessment and treatment;
                    (B) to increase funding for research so that causes 
                of and improved treatment for obesity and 
                overweightedness may be discovered;
                    (C) to continue to consider ways to improve access 
                to quality health care services for the early 
                assessment of risk and treatment of obesity; and
                    (D) to target prevention and intervention to reduce 
                obesity and overweightedness in children and 
                adolescents;
            (3) the Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood 
        Institute should continue to take a leadership role in the 
        fight against obesity and overweightedness through the 
        expansion of basic, clinical, and genetic research;
            (4) a month should be established as National Obesity 
        Awareness Month; and
            (5) the President should issue a proclamation--
                    (A) recognizing a ``National Obesity Awareness 
                Month'';
                    (B) encouraging all health organizations in the 
                United States to host activities to promote obesity and 
                overweightedness awareness; and
                    (C) calling upon the people of the United States to 
                observe the month with appropriate programs and 
                activities to improve prevention and early intervention 
                and to promote the importance of regular physical 
                activity and physical education in our Nation's 
                schools.
                                 <all>