[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 873 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 873

To amend title V of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
   to raise awareness of eating disorders and to create educational 
         programs concerning the same, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 25, 2003

Mrs. Biggert (for herself and Mr. Strickland) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title V of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
   to raise awareness of eating disorders and to create educational 
         programs concerning the same, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

     This Act may be cited as the ``Eating Disorders Awareness, 
Prevention, and Education Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

     Congress finds the following:
            (1) An estimated 5,000,000 to 10,000,000 women and girls 
        and 1,000,000 men and boys suffer from eating disorders, 
        including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating 
        disorder, as well as eating disorders that are not otherwise 
        defined.
            (2) Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by 
        self-starvation and excessive weight loss.
            (3) An estimated .5 to 3.7 percent of American women will 
        suffer from anorexia nervosa in their lifetime.
            (4) Anorexia Nervosa is associated with serious health 
        consequences including heart failure, kidney failure, 
        osteoporosis, and death.
            (5) Anorexia Nervosa has the highest mortality rate of all 
        psychiatric disorders. A young woman is 12 times more likely to 
        die than other women her age without Anorexia.
            (6) Bulimia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by 
        excessive food consumption followed by inappropriate 
        compensatory behaviors, such as self-induced vomiting, misuse 
        of laxatives, fasting, or excessive exercise.
            (7) Bulimia Nervosa is common: an estimated 1.1 to 4.2 
        percent of American women will suffer from this disorder in 
        their lifetime.
            (8) Bulimia Nervosa is associated with cardiac, 
        gastrointestinal, and dental problems including irregular 
        heartbeats, gastric rupture, peptic ulcer, and tooth decay.
            (9) Binge Eating Disorder is characterized by frequent 
        episodes of uncontrolled overeating.
            (10) Binge Eating Disorder is common: an estimated 2 to 5 
        percent of Americans experience this disorder in a 6-month 
        period.
            (11) Binge Eating is associated with obesity, heart 
        disease, gall bladder disease, and diabetes.
            (12) Eating disorders usually appear in adolescence and are 
        associated with substantial psychological problems, including 
        depression, substance abuse, and suicide.
            (13) Forty-two percent of 1st through 3d grade girls want 
        to be thinner, and 81 percent of 10-year-old children are 
        afraid of being fat.
            (14) Thirty-five percent of dieters progress to 
        pathological dieting, and 20 to 25 percent of these individuals 
        progress to partial or full syndrome eating disorders.
            (15) Eating disorders can lead to death. According to the 
        National Institute of Mental Health, 1 in 10 people with 
        anorexia nervosa will die of starvation, cardiac arrest, or 
        other medical complications.
            (16) Eating disorders can have a negative impact on the 
        educational advancement of a student, a situation often 
        overlooked and rarely addressed in our Nation's schools.
            (17) Educational efforts to prevent eating disorders are of 
        primary importance to the health, well being and academic 
        success of our Nation's students.
            (18) Females are much more likely than males to develop an 
        eating disorder. An estimated 5 to 15 percent of people with 
        anorexia or bulimia and an estimated 35 percent of people with 
        binge-eating disorder are male.

SEC. 3. PURPOSES.

     The purposes of this Act are the following:
            (1) To provide States, local school districts, and parents 
        with the means and flexibility to improve awareness of, 
        identify, and help students with eating disorders.
            (2) To help ensure that such individuals receive a quality 
        education and secure their chance for a bright future.

SEC. 4. INNOVATIVE ASSISTANCE FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF, TRAINING ON, 
              AND EDUCATIONAL AWARENESS OF EATING DISORDERS.

    Section 5131(a) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7215(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(28) Programs to improve the identification of students 
        with eating disorders, increase awareness of such disorders 
        among parents and students, and train educators (such as 
        teachers, school nurses, school social workers, coaches, school 
        counselors, and administrators) on effective eating disorder 
        prevention and assistance methods.''.

SEC. 5. PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS.

     The Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health, shall 
carry out a program to develop, distribute, and promote the 
broadcasting of public service announcements to improve public 
awareness, and to promote the identification and prevention, of eating 
disorders.

SEC. 6. EATING DISORDER RESEARCH AND REPORT.

     Not later than 18 months after the enactment of this Act, the 
National Center for Education Statistics and the National Center for 
Health Statistics shall conduct a study on the impact eating disorders 
have on educational advancement and achievement. The study shall--
            (1) determine the prevalence of eating disorders among 
        students and the morbidity and mortality rates associated with 
        eating disorders;
            (2) evaluate the extent to which students with eating 
        disorders are more likely to miss school, have delayed rates of 
        development, or have reduced cognitive skills;
            (3) report on current State and local programs to educate 
        youth about the dangers of eating disorders, as well as 
        evaluate the value of such programs; and
            (4) make recommendations on measures that could be 
        undertaken by Congress, the Department of Education, States, 
        and local educational agencies to strengthen eating disorder 
        prevention and awareness programs.
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