[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 15, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H738]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            CATCH INITIATIVE

  (Mr. OLSON asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. OLSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend the Coordinated 
Approach to Child Health initiative, CATCH, an innovative program being 
implemented in Houston and across Texas to combat rising rates of 
childhood obesity.
  It's no secret that childhood obesity is a growing problem in our 
country. Statistics show that 18 percent of elementary schoolchildren 
are overweight, and the number is growing every year.
  The University of Texas School of Public Health created CATCH to help 
elementary schools, children, and their families adopt healthy eating 
and physical activity behaviors.
  CATCH is a huge success. It's been adopted by more than 2,500 
elementary schools in Texas, impacting 800,000 schoolchildren--that's 
50 percent of Texas elementary schools. CATCH has received national 
recognition for being one of the most comprehensive and cost-effective 
approaches in fighting childhood obesity.
  Madam Speaker, I commend all schools in Texas that have adopted this 
program. They recognize that every child needs to be taught, and every 
child needs to be taught how to grow up healthy.

                          ____________________