[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 33 (Tuesday, March 16, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E378-E379]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   AMERICA'S GROWING OBESITY EPIDEMIC

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 16, 2004

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, public health officials have been sounding 
an alarm in recent years about America's growing obesity epidemic. By 
2000, almost two-thirds of adults were overweight or obese, and the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that 40 
percent of adults will be obese by 2010, if trends go unchanged. In the 
past 20 years, the percentage of children who are overweight has 
doubled from 7 to 15 percent, while the percentage of adolescents who 
are overweight has almost tripled.
  Recent studies have found that more than 34 percent of adults are 
overweight, about 31 percent are obese, and both children and adults 
are consuming significantly more calories today than they did just 30 
years ago.
  The personal costs of this epidemic include shorter lifespan due to 
increases in heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, some types of 
cancer and diabetes. The costs to society are immense and growing; CDC 
estimates that obesity-related medical costs reached a record total of 
$75 billion in 2003, $39 billion of which is borne by taxpayers via 
Medicare and Medicaid.
  Among the best tools yet developed to fight obesity is the Expanded 
Food and Nutrition Education Program (or EFNEP), which is operated by 
the USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service 
(or CSREES). Now celebrating its 35th year of service, EFNEP operates 
in nearly 800 counties in all 50 states and the U.S. territories. 
EFNEP's mission is to help low-income families and youth improve their 
diet quality and stretch their food dollar, skills which directly 
affect obesity. By making positive changes in individual and family 
behavior regarding healthy food choices, physical activity, and 
stretching the family food dollar, EFNEP participants can combat 
obesity and improve their health.
  Studies show that people who are most ``food insecure''--meaning 
those who are vulnerable to running out of food or missing meals 
because they cannot afford the cost--are disproportionately obese and 
overweight. EFNEP targets these very audiences: low-income youth and 
low-income families with young children. Through a series of lessons 
and activities, taught in peer-to-peer fashion by paraprofessionals and 
volunteers who come from the same populations the program is trying to 
reach, EFNEP relies on a tried-and-true learning process that brings 
about dramatic results.
  Changes in diets to include more fruits and vegetables and dairy 
foods have been shown to lower the incidence of obesity and the risk of 
many chronic diseases. EFNEP has demonstrated remarkable success in 
increasing the consumption of these key foods. According to evaluation 
data, after participating in EFNEP, the adults consume 1.7 more 
servings of fruits and vegetables and a one-half additional serving of 
dairy foods, compared to their intake levels when they started EFNEP; 
93 percent of the adult participants make a positive improvement in at 
least one food group.

[[Page E379]]

  Approximately 600,000 people each year--roughly 75 percent of them 
children--participate in the EFNEP program, gaining new skills in food 
preparation, shopping, storage, safety, and sanitation. They learn how 
to better manage their food budgets and related resources such as Food 
Stamps. Youth topics may also include fitness, avoidance of substance 
abuse and other health-related issues. EFNEP's hands-on, learn-by-doing 
approach allows the participants to acquire the practical skills 
necessary to make positive changes in behavior.
  The results are clear and heartening. For example, EFNEP's evaluation 
and reporting system showed that among program graduates in 2002: 88 
percent improved in nutrition practices such as making healthy food 
choices, reading nutrition labels and having children eat breakfast; 83 
percent improved in food resource practices such as meal planning and 
budgeting; 67 percent improved in food safety practices such as storing 
and thawing foods correctly; 51 percent now offer five fruits and 
vegetables to their families each day; and 41 percent now routinely eat 
low-fat foods instead of fat-rich foods.

  Studies in several states found that EFNEP is a solid investment of 
federal dollars. According to the studies, every dollar invested in 
EFNEP reduced health care costs by $10.64 in Virginia, $8.82 in a group 
of Midwestern states, $8.03 in Iowa, and $3.63 in Oregon.
  In spite of these successes, the fiscal year 2004 Agriculture 
Appropriations bill reduced funding to 33 programs administered by 
CSREES by 10 percent each. EFNEP was one of those programs. Even in the 
short time since that appropriations bill was enacted in late January, 
we have already heard about the adverse impact the cuts are having on 
EFNEP. In community after community, extension offices are laying off 
EFNEP staff, thereby limiting the reach of the program. Just to offer a 
few examples, the 10 percent cuts to EFNEP mean that:
  In Maryland 375 currently enrolled families will not be served, and 
another 3,000 eligible individuals will not receive nutrition 
education;
  In Colorado bilingual nutrition education serving low-income Hispanic 
families will be cut by 400 people;
  In Tennessee 14 staff positions must be cut, and EFNEP programs in 
seven counties will be lost, forcing a large reduction from the 3,600 
persons served on average;
  In Florida EFNEP youth contacts will be decreased by about 1,600 
adult and 100 youth participants;
  In Ohio EFNEP will suffer major staff cuts, which will force it to 
give up on many of the 7,000 parents and 21,000 youth it reaches every 
year;
  In Michigan EFNEP will reach up to 600 fewer families;
  And in my own state of Connecticut, 150 families and about 350 youth 
will not be served in both Hartford and Bridgeport, 2 of the 10 poorest 
cities in the country, as well as in Danbury, a city with many 
immigrant groups that are in need of nutrition education.
  At a time when the need for EFNEP is greatest, financial support for 
the program from Congress has waned. This will only squander some of 
the significant gains EFNEP has already made in hundreds of communities 
around the country. And this penny-wise solution to short-term budget 
challenges will come back to haunt us in the long-run as the Federal 
Government's share of health costs--driven by the obesity epidemic--
continue to rise.
  With a relatively small investment, we can stem the tide of obesity 
in this country. That is why for 2005, I hope we can increase funding 
for this critical program. I respectfully urge my colleagues to seize 
this opportunity and do what is right.

                          ____________________