[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 59 (Tuesday, April 24, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E635]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




THE INTRODUCTION OF THE LIFELONG IMPROVEMENTS IN FOOD AND EXERCISE ACT 
                                 (LIFE)

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 24, 2012

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, now that the cherry blossoms have signaled 
that spring has come, I introduce the Lifelong Improvements in Food and 
Exercise Act (LIFE), authorizing a national initiative to attack a 
major health problem in the United States that cannot be remedied 
through the health care system alone. Growing problems of overweight 
and obesity are now found in Americans of every age, race, and major 
demographic group, and threatens the health of Americans like no other 
single disease or condition does. In fact, the key to eliminating many 
of the most serious health conditions is reducing overweight and 
obesity, not even the much need Affordable Care Act. The LIFE bill 
would provide $25 million in funding to the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention (CDC) for a coordinated national effort to reverse 
increasingly sedentary lifestyles and diets that are high in fat and 
sugar.
  Despite rising consciousness of this epidemic, from NBC's `The 
Biggest Loser' to a steady stream of diet books, startling rates of 
obesity among adults and children continue in the United States. In 
2007, estimates from the CDC National Center for Health Statistics 
showed that the percentage of children who are overweight has more than 
doubled, and among adolescents, the rates have tripled since 1980. 
Today, 13 million overweight children have an 80 percent chance of 
being overweight adults, with the health conditions that follow, such 
as high blood pressure, heart disease, and cancer. The CDC reports that 
Type 2 diabetes, considered an adult disease, is now widespread in 
children. The healthcare system and the insurance premium of average 
Americans are paying the price for this generation. The consequences 
for kids will follow them throughout their lives if we do not act 
quickly and decisively. If we are serious about healthcare, we must 
start where the most serious health conditions begin: in the epidemic 
of overweight and obesity.
  The LIFE bill seeks to provide the first national strategy by 
directing the CDC to pursue obesity and sedentary lifestyles in three 
ways: train health professionals to recognize the signs of obesity 
early and educate people concerning healthy lifestyles, such as proper 
nutrition and regular exercise; conduct education campaigns to teach 
the public about how to recognize and address overweight and obesity; 
and develop intervention strategies to be used in everyday life at 
worksites and in community settings. This legislation is the minimum 
necessary to address our most important healthcare crisis. Already, 
chronic diseases, many of which are caused or exacerbated by overweight 
or obesity, account for 70 percent of all deaths in the U.S., and 60 
percent of U.S. medical care expenses annually. According to the 
Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and 
Obesity, the cost of obesity in the United States was more than $117 
billion in 2000. The CDC highlights a study that estimates the annual 
cost to be $147 billion. Currently, it is estimated that between 
300,000 and 400,000 deaths per year are related to obesity.
  A focused national health initiative is necessary because unhealthy 
lifestyles have become a normal part of everyday life. Participation in 
high school physical education classes has dropped from 42 percent in 
1991 to 33 percent in 2005. National data show an increase in unhealthy 
eating habits for adults and no change in physical activity. Changes in 
nutrition are equally critical because 60 percent of young people 
consume too much fat, a factor doubling the percentage of overweight 
youth.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this important 
legislation to mobilize the country now, before entirely preventable 
health conditions, that often begin in children, overwhelm the Nation's 
health care system.

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